Safe Practices for

Sausage Production
Distance Learning Course Manual

Sponsored by:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),

Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and
The Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO)

In cooperation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Version 1 - September 1999

Index
Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………... 3

Producing Sausages …………………………………………………….…………….. 6

Fresh Sausages ……………………………………………………………………...… 6

Cooked and Smoked Sausages ……………….……………….………………..….. 10

Dry Sausages …………………………………………………………………………. 15

Sausage Production Equipment ……………………………………………………… 19

Ingredients in Sausages ………………………………………………….………… 20

Performing Sausage Formulation Calculations……………………………………… 24

Biological Hazards of Concern ……………………………………………………… 28

Sanitation Issues ………………………………………………………………….…… 33

HACCP Plan Implementation ……………..……………………………………..…. 35

Summary ……………………………………………………………………………..…. 39

Glossary ………………………………………………………………………………... 42

Appendices……………………………………………………………………………… 60

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Page 2
 ________________________________
"…even kids with chicken pox, love hotdogs…" (Armor hot dog
Introduction jingle)

History of Sausages The process of preserving meats by stuffing salted, chopped meats
flavored with spices into animal casings dates back thousands of
years, to the ancient Greeks and Romans, and earlier. The word
“sausage” is derived from the Latin word “salsus”, which means
salted, or preserved by salting. Sausages and sausage products
have since evolved into a wide variety of flavors, textures, and
shapes resulting from variations in ingredients and manufacturing
processes.

In the United States, expansion in the meat packing industry during

the Civil War, along with development of refrigeration for use in
railroad cars and slaughtering facilities, provided an incentive for
meat processors to create sausage products that could utilize
cheaper, perishable cuts of meat, along with scrap trimmings and
offal products. In addition, persons from various nationalities and
ethnic groups immigrated to the U.S., bringing with them traditional
recipes and manufacturing skills for creating a wide range of
sausage types.

A series of scandals, including the publication of Upton Sinclair's

The Jungle, exposed undesirable practices in the meat processing
industry, including the practice of adding variety meats and offal
products to a sausage product without identifying the ingredients to
the consumer. The Federal Government responded in 1906 with
the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA).

Today, the sausage manufacturing industry must adhere to

government standards for ingredients and processes. In addition,
accurate labeling requirements ensure that the consumer is
informed of the ingredients of a sausage product. The objective of
these standards is to help ensure that sausage products maintain a
consistent quality and are safe to consume.

Overview of the Safe This manual is one component of a USDA FSIS tele-course on the
Practices in Sausage safety issues associated with the production of sausage products.
Production Course and The manual is designed to supplement the information presented
Manual within the course, and provide you with a lasting reference that you
can review at a later date.

What information is Throughout this manual, we will cover a range of issues related to
covered in this sausage production, including;
manual? - the sausage production process,
- safety and sanitation issues at each stage of the
process, and
- pathogens of concern to sausage makers.

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 Course Objectives Once you have completed this course, you will be able to:

- Describe the stages of the sausage production process, along

with the production, safety, and sanitation issues as
appropriate to each stage of the process.
- Identify the range of pathogens of concern to sausage makers.

Purpose of this course This program is intended to provide the retail food inspector some
and manual insight into the processes used by food processors to produce the
many products distributed for retail sale. Today, however, many
grocery stores, meat markets, and other retail food establishments
are producing their own sausage products. Many of the principles
that apply to large food processors also apply to retail operations.
Therefore, our primary purpose is to provide some background
information to the retail inspector who encounters these sausage
processes. This course will review the sausage production process,
identify critical food safety areas within the process, and review the
procedures that should be followed to ensure that only safe
products are produced. We have attempted to target the
information presented to the retail inspector.

Increasingly stringent food safety standards are driving food

industries internationally, nationally, and at the state level to adopt
HACCP. HACCP has been used for decades to increase product
safety. HACCP is also good business: it results in decreased
liability potential for the establishment, and increased consistency
and consumer satisfaction in the products produced.

The U.S. FDA has identified recommended retail standards in the

1999 Food Code. HACCP plans are specifically required for retail
facilities that use smoking, curing, acidifying, use food additives,
use alternative cooking time/temperature combinations, or use
reduced oxygen packaging (see sections 3-502.11, 3-401.11 (D)(3),
8-201.13 of the 1999 Food Code). The Food Code requires that a
food establishment obtain a variance from the regulatory authority
before conducting these operations.

State food laws often can not provide detailed proscriptive guidance
for the diverse processes used in sausage manufacturing. Often
State and local inspectors rely on compliance with general good
manufacturing practices (GMP), which can cause conflicts because
GMPs are open to subjective interpretation.

The FSIS technical staff has access to recognized meat safety

standards that have been developed based on years of scientific
study and practical experience. This program is presented in the
hope that retail inspectors may find this information useful when
they need to determine if a practice in one of their facilities is a safe
one or not. This material presents detailed information regarding
specialized processes that may not be specifically addressed in
their state laws or the model Food Code. This information may be
helpful, when used in conjunction with the FDA Food Code, for
evaluation of requests for variances from establishments. The

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 information can also be useful when evaluating the scientific
soundness of a retail establishment’s HACCP plan. As with any
type of guidance from outside agencies, inspectors should discuss
with their supervisors how this information could appropriately be
used in their regulatory programs.
__________________________________
Several categories of sausage products are typically consumed in
Examples of the U.S., each with specific production processes and storage
Sausage requirements. These categories include fresh sausages, such as
fresh pork sausages, cooked sausages, such as frankfurters, and dry
Products sausages, such as meat sticks.

Fresh Pork Sausage Fresh pork sausages are produced from selected cuts of fresh and
sometimes frozen pork, pork trimmings, and water, along with
seasonings. Since fresh sausages do not contain curing agents, and
are neither cooked nor smoked, they require refrigeration. These
types of sausages must be thoroughly cooked before serving.

Frankfurter Frankfurters are examples of cooked and smoked sausages. They

are produced from fresh meat that is fully cooked, and have flavors
that are imparted through the addition of curing ingredients, and via
various cooking and smoking processes. Although they are fully
cooked they are not shelf-stable, and must be refrigerated until the
time of consumption.

Meat Stick Meat snack sticks are produced using controlled, bacterially-induced
fermentation to preserve the meat and impart a special flavor, along
with a long drying period to cure and preserve the meat. These
processes produce a shelf-stable product.

In this course, you will learn about the production process and
production requirements for each of these categories of sausages.
___________________________________
In this section, you will go over the main steps that are utilized to
Producing produce standard sausage products, including Fresh Sausages,
Sausages Cooked and Smoked Sausages, and Dry Sausages.

Fresh Sausages Fresh Sausages are made from selected cuts of fresh and
sometimes frozen meats. Fresh sausages are not allowed to
contain curing agents [i.e., sodium or potassium nitrites, nitrates, or
salt in sufficient quantities to preserve the product] and are not
cooked. Fresh sausages are usually seasoned, and have limited
water content. These types of sausages require refrigerated
storage, and must be thoroughly cooked before serving.

Fresh sausages are not as widely produced as cooked sausages,

and are typically consumed as breakfast meals. Typical fresh
sausages include products such as pork sausages, beef sausage,

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 breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, and fresh chorizo sausages.

This chart provides some of the FSIS established Standards of

Identity for typical fresh sausages. [see 9 CFR 319.140-145]
These FSIS standards are presented as guidelines for State and
local inspection.

Standards of Identity for Fresh Sausages

Type Fat Content Characteristics
Fresh Pork Up to 50% No pork by-products, paprika, binders, or extenders
Sausage allowed. Water/ice up to 3% permitted.
Country Style Up to 50% All spices and flavorings must be natural.
Pork Sausage
Whole Hog Up to 50% Can use meat parts from entire hog, including muscle
Sausage by-products like tongue and heart, in proportions
consistent with the natural animal. Water/ice up to
3% permitted.
Breakfast Up to 50% Can contain mechanically-separated product up to
Sausage 20% of the meat portion, and binders and extenders
up to 3.5%. Can contain meat ingredients from
multiple species. Water/ice up to 3% permitted.
Paprika not permitted.
Fresh Beef Up to 30% Can contain mechanically-separated beef product up
Sausage to 20%. Binders, extenders, and paprika are not
permitted. Water/ice up to 3% permitted.
Bratwurst No fat Usually made from pork but can be made from poultry
(fresh) limitation if properly identified on label. Can contain binders and
extenders up to 3.5%. Water/ice up to 3% permitted.
Italian Up to 35% Must contain 85% meat/fat. Can contain
Sausage mechanically-separated pork product up to 20% of the
By standard is meat portion, approved condiments, and additional
only pork, food ingredients. Water/ice up to 3% permitted.
special Paprika is permitted. Must have anise or fennel as
labeling for spices, which provide product identity.
others

Of course, establishments may want to produce other types of

sausage. Establishments have the flexibility to design their own
particular sausage formulas. Many manufacturers are creating
gourmet-type fresh sausage products that are acceptable as long
as a truthful, descriptive product name and an accurate ingredients
statement are included on the label.

The main processes used to produce Fresh Sausages are:

§ Grinding meat ingredients

§ Adding non-meat ingredients
§ Blending
§ Stuffing
§ Packaging

Grinding Meat In this section we’ll briefly review each stage of the production
Ingredients process for creating most types of fresh sausages. These steps are

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 also used to create other types of sausages.

The first step in sausage production is grinding the ingredients. The

grinding stage reduces the meat ingredients into small, uniformly
sized particles. Ground meat is the primary ingredient in a sausage
formulation. The characteristics of the meat ingredients used to
create the sausage define the type of sausage - the overall taste,
texture, aroma, along with the protein and fat content.

A variety of raw meat ingredients are utilized in the sausage

production process. Each ingredient contributes a specific property
to the final sausage formulation.

Meats must be clean, sound, and wholesome. These products

should be inspected when arriving at the facility, and just prior to
use, to ensure that they were not contaminated during transit or
handling.

The specific meats used in a sausage formulation must be correctly

identified by type and quantity.

Prior to grinding, the meat is held in cold storage. Although the

Food Code requires the meat to be held at 41°F or less, often
processors prefer to chill the meat to below 30°F to minimize the
potential for fat smearing. The grinder blades must be sharp and
matched with the grinding plate to ensure an efficient grind without
generating extra heat during the grinding process.

Grinding processes will vary according to the manufacturer and the

nature of the product. Some sausage products use coarsely
ground meats, others use more finely ground meat ingredients.
Some manufacturers grind the lean and fat trimmings separately,
grinding the lean trimmings to a finer consistency than the fat
meats.

Adding Non-Meat There are many non-meat ingredients that are essential to the
Ingredients sausage making process. These non-meat ingredients stabilize the
mixture, and add specific characteristics and flavors to the final
product. Ingredients used in fresh sausage include water, salt, and
antioxidants, along with traditional spices, seasonings, and
flavorings.

It is important to note that the use of some non-meat ingredients is

limited or prohibited. In fresh sausage, for example, water is limited
to 3 percent of the total weight, and binders and extenders such as
dry milk powder are limited to 3.5 percent of the total weight.

Paprika is a spice that is considered both a flavoring and a coloring

agent, because of its strong red color. For this reason, paprika or
oleoresin of paprika may not be used in any fresh meat product,
except products that it is traditionally expected in, such as Italian
sausage and chorizo.

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 The amount of non-meat ingredients, such as spices, is determined
by the overall weight of the product mixture. Since the amounts of
these ingredients must be carefully controlled, and measuring very
small amounts of numerous specific ingredients within a
manufacturing environment is often not practical, many
manufacturers use a commercially pre-measured and packaged
mix of these ingredients.

Blending Manufacturers carefully control the blending of the meat and non-
meat ingredients to create the desired characteristics for a specific
sausage formulation.

The meat and non-meat ingredients are placed in a mixer and

thoroughly blended.

The manufacturer must monitor and control the blending process,

since excessive mixing can cause the salts in the formulation to
break down excessive amounts of protein, or friction created by the
blending process can increase the product temperature and cause
fats to partially render. Excessive handling also cuts protein fibers
too short. All of these problems could result in product quality
defects.

The blending process must also obtain a uniform distribution of

any non-meat ingredients within the product formulation. For
example, flavorings, salts, and other ingredients must be
consistently mixed throughout a sausage formulation.

Stuffing After the blending is complete, the blended ingredients may be bulk
packaged, or they many be extruded into a casing. This process is
called stuffing. Fresh sausages are typically stuffed into natural
animal casings. Natural casings used for fresh sausage are derived
from the small intestines of sheep. To create the natural casings,
the casing processor washes, scrapes, and treats the casings,
grades the casings for size and condition, then salts, packages, and
ships the casings in brine or propylene glycol (for preservation) to
the sausage manufacturer.

Fresh sausages may also be stuffed into a small diameter artificial

casing, or may be extruded into a short, large diameter plastic
casing called a “chub” pack, usually containing 1 to 2 pounds of
meat

The Stuffing Process The stuffing process can be accomplished in a number of ways.
Natural casings are typically flushed with water, and the mixture is
injected into the casing at a pressure that is sufficient to fill the
casing without leaving any air pockets, and without tearing the
casing. The stuffing process is also sometimes conducted at lower
temperatures (<35-380F) to minimize fat smearing on the casing.

Smaller volume or specialty producers may stuff the formulation into

the casing by hand or from a screw feed. These small operations
may also bypass choppers, mixers, and stuffers, and stuff the

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 output of the grinder directly into the casing. Larger manufacturers
may use air or water-piston type automatic stuffers.

The stuffed casings are then separated into uniform segments of

equal length in a process called linking. These segments form the
single sausage portions. The linking process is typically
accomplished by twisting the casing.

Packaging The fresh sausage product is sometimes packaged for sale to the
customer. The product may be wrapped in a gas impermeable
plastic, and placed into refrigerated storage or display. The specific
packaging will vary according to the needs of the end user,
however, the processor must follow hygienic standards when
packaging any sausage product to avoid contaminating the product.
Often retail fresh sausage is tray packed.
____________________________________
Cooked and smoked sausages account for approximately 85% of all
Cooked and sausages produced today. Typical cooked sausages, like
Smoked frankfurters or bologna, are made from fresh or frozen meat that is
cured during processing, fully cooked, and smoked. These types of
Sausages sausages are perishable and must be refrigerated until time of
consumption, or they expire. These sausages have additional
flavors that are imparted through the addition of nitrites and nitrates,
and via various cooking and smoking processes.

This category of sausages contains many process variations that

result in the wide range of cooked and smoked sausages that can
be seen in the retail trade. Although most are cooked and smoked,
some are cooked without smoke, and there are many other process
modifications. This manual does not cover all of the possible
variations. We are only going to discuss a few of the most common
processes for manufacturing cooked and smoked sausages.

One type of cooked and smoked sausage is made from emulsified

(finely ground) meats. This type includes frankfurters (hot dogs),
bologna, knockwurst, and vienna sausages. This class of sausage
is allowed to contain a combination of fat and added water of up to
40%, with no more than 30% fat in the finished product. These
product standards are found in FSIS regulation §319.180 (see
appendix).

Some cooked and smoked sausages are more coarsely ground,

such as Polish sausage, cotto salami, and smoked sausage. Fat is
considered visible to the consumer in these types of sausages, so
there is no fat limitation, however water is limited to 10% of the
finished product weight. These product standards are found in FSIS
regulation §319.140 (see appendix).

Other types of cooked sausage, such as braunschweiger, liver

sausage, blood sausage, and tongue items, are cooked in water

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 inside of an impervious casing or steel mold, often inside a steam
cabinet or water bath instead of a smokehouse. The impervious
casing causes these types of cooked sausage to retain all moisture
during cooking, so the manufacturer must closely control the
amount of water during formulation to ensure that it does not
exceed the 10% limit.

In addition to the standard production steps used to produce fresh

sausages, cooked and smoked sausages have additional
production stages, including:

§ Smoking
§ Cooking
§ Showering
§ Chilling
§ Peeling

In this section we will briefly review each of these additional stages

that are used to produce cooked and smoked sausages.

Cooked and smoked sausages start out very similar to the fresh
sausages. Raw meat ingredients are ground and blended with non-
meat ingredients. A bowl chopper (known in the industry as a silent
cutter) is sometimes used to simultaneously blend and chop the
mixture. The bowl chopper passes a series of knives through the
mixture, usually resulting in an increase in temperature due to
friction. A combination of ice and water is often added to the
mixture to control the temperature and facilitate the grinding and
blending process.

Cooked and smoked sausages are typically composed of a wide

variety of meat ingredients. Each ingredient contributes a specific
property to the final sausage formulation. For example, each meat
ingredient will vary in overall content of protein, moisture, fat,
collagen, and in it’s ability to encapsulate fats and hold the mixture
in a stable suspension, called binding ability.

Meat Ingredients Skeletal beef muscle tissue from bull, cow, and shank meat have
the highest binding capabilities. Intermediate or medium binding
Binding Ability meats include head meat, cheek meat, and lean pork trimmings.
Low binding meats contain higher levels of fat, and are typically
non-skeletal meats, such as jowls, fat, briskets, hearts, and tongue
trimmings.

Some meat by-products have minimal binding ability, so the use of

these products in sausage is generally avoided. These products
include tripe, pork stomachs, lips, snouts, and skin.

Non-meat proteins, such as cereal flours and non-fat dry milk must
also be uniformly distributed, however, these ingredients usually are
added last, since they absorb water that is required for protein
emulsification

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Emulsification Some manufacturers run the mixture through an emulsifier after the
blending stage to further reduce the size of the meat particles, to
achieve a very fine texture. In the emulsification process, fat,
protein, salt and water are mixed, and combined into a semi-fluid
emulsion. The meat muscle protein, called "myosin", is solubilized
or released from the muscle fibers by contact with salt. The
solubilized protein and water combine and surround the fat
globules, and hold the fat particles in a disbursed suspension within
the mixture, along with spices and seasonings.

Careful control of the amount of each ingredient and the grinding

process is essential. The manufacturer must select a mix of raw
meat materials with the appropriate emulsifying and binding
characteristics. Emulsifying properties are dependent on the
hydrophobic (water repulsing) and hydrophilic (water attracting)
characteristics of the specific protein. Myosin protein has the best
emulsifying properties (possessing both hydrophobic and
hydrophilic properties), while proteins such as collagen have little or
no emulsifying properties, and tend to break down at higher
temperatures during the cooking. Manufacturers typically limit the
use of low binding materials to less than 15% of the product
formulation to ensure finished product quality.

If too much fat is added, or overchopping of the ingredients exposes

too much fat, there may not be sufficient protein to encapsulate the
fat. This creates a condition called "shorting out", "greasing out", or
"fat capping". In this case, fat droplets migrate to the product
surface and form small pockets of fat called “fat caps". The
emulsion can also break down when the mixture is chopped too
long, causing too short protein fibers, or the product temperature is
increased, causing some of the fats to partially render. In this
condition, the protein is unable to hold liquid fat in suspension. In
addition, emulsion breakdown can occur in products with a high acid
content, or when heating coagulates protein before it has a chance
to surround the fat and “set” the emulsion.

Stuffing Cooked and smoked sausages are stuffed into casings in a process
similar to fresh sausages, however, manufacturers of these
products utilize a wider range of casing materials.

Natural casings used for cooked and smoked sausages are derived
from the stomach, and intestines of hogs, the intestines, bung and
bladder of cattle, and the intestines of sheep. They are edible, and
allow smoke and moisture to permeate the sausage during
processing.

Hog middles are produced from the large intestine, and are used for
Italian sausages and liver sausages. The small intestine is utilized
to create small hog casings that are utilized for smaller diameter
products, such as Polish sausage, smoked pork sausage, and
bratwurst. And hog bladders are used as casings for minced
luncheon meats.

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 Sheep casings are generally made from the small intestine. These
small diameter casings are typically used for frankfurters and pork
sausages.

Beef rounds are casings that are produced from the small intestine,
and are used for products such as bologna and mettwurst. Beef
middles are larger casings created from the large intestine, and are
used to produce sausages such as bologna, cervelat and salami.

Sometimes manufacturers use casings that are not derived from the
same type of meat as the main meat ingredients of the sausage.
For example, a manufacturer can use a pork casing on a beef and
lamb combination sausage. Currently, manufacturers are not
required to disclose that the natural casing is not derived from the
same livestock species as the sausage itself.

Regenerated Regenerated collagen sausage casings are made from collagen

Collagen extracted from cattle hides and hog skins in a process called
Sausage Casings regeneration. The extracted collagen is dissolved, then hardened,
washing, swelled with acid, and finally formed into the tubular
casing shape in an extrusion process. This final shape is then fixed
in an alkali bath.

These types of lower strength casings are typically used for smaller
diameter products.

Synthetic and Synthetic or artificial casings are made from special papers
Cellulose Casings impregnated with cellulose, saran casings made from synthetic
plastics, and hydro-cellulose casings made from regenerated
cellulose. Cellulose casings are created from dissolved fibers
extracted from cotton seeds or paper pulp. Each of these types of
casings are available in a wide range of sizes and characteristics
and are easy to handle, however, these types of casings are not
edible and must be removed from the sausage prior to
consumption. Artificial casings provide high strength and are
available with excellent permeability to moisture and smoke, or as
impermeable casings for use in producing water-cooked products
such as braunschweiger.

Smoking Smoking is used to dry and cure the meat, and impart flavors and
aroma to the final product. Smoking was traditionally important
because it inhibited bacterial growth on the finished product,
however, in modern times we rely on refrigeration to inhibit
bacteria. A smoke generator creates natural smoke via a carefully
controlled burning of hardwood sawdust, wood chips, or logs.
Hickory is the most popular wood used for smoking, but other
hardwoods and fruitwoods are also used. Coniferous trees such
as pine are unacceptable because they contain resins, smoke from
that type of wood has a high tar content and imparts a bitter flavor.

The distinctive effects of smoking are imparted through absorption

of the condensible phase of the smoke. This phase consists of

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 acids, carbonyls, phenolics, and polycyclic hydrocarbons. The
amount of these materials that is deposited on the product surface
is controlled by varying the density of the smoke, the duration of
the smoking cycle, and the air velocity within the smoking
chamber.

Sausage manufacturers also control the moisture level of the

product before and during the smoking process in order to produce
a high quality product. The surface of the product must be slightly
moist in order for the smoke volatiles to properly adhere to the
product. If the product surface is too moist, the smoke process will
cause streaking. If the casing is too dry, the smoke will not
properly adhere to and permeate the casing. Producers therefore
ensure that the drying cycles are carefully controlled to ensure a
consistent smoked product.

Artificial liquid smoke can be used to impart the smoke flavors.

Liquid smoke is created by distilling and refining the condensible
elements of natural wood smoke to create a liquid concentrate of
the desired elements. Liquid smoke is applied by dipping or
drenching the product in a bath of the liquid smoke product. It can
also be applied within a smokehouse environment by atomizing the
liquid smoke into a fine mist, or by superheating and evaporating
the liquid smoke in a process called regeneration. It can also be in
the formulation of the sausage; if so it must be included in the
ingredients statement of the product.

The length of the smoking process varies according to the type of

product and desired effect of the smoking process. An effective
smoke application can be accomplished in as little as 30 minutes.
Liquid smoke can be effectively applied in less than 5 minutes.
This chart illustrates use of a smokehouse schedule.

Sample Smokehouse Schedule

Function Time Smokehouse Relative Damper
Temperature Humidity
Drying 30 min. 125 0 F 25% Open
Smoking 1 hour 140 0 F 35% Closed
Cooking 1 hour 165 0 F 35% Closed
Steam Cooking 10 min. 180 0 F 100% Closed

As this chart indicates, the smokehouse may also serve as a

controlled thermal processing chamber, and is used to dry, smoke,
heat (cook), and add humidity to the product.

Cooking Manufacturers cook sausage products to enhance the flavor and

color, produce the desired final product, and to inhibit the bacteria
responsible for spoilage. In order to produce a safe product,
cooking must also destroy parasites and pathogenic bacteria.
Sausages can be cooked through immersion in a heated water
bath, within a smokehouse environment, or within ovens.

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 The cooking process is carefully controlled to ensure that the
product reaches a specific internal temperature for a defined period
of time. Thermocouples are used to monitor the temperature
during the cooking process.

Showering / After the smoking and cooking phase, the sausage product
undergoes a cold water shower. Showering maintains the product
Chilling humidity and stops the cooking process by reducing the product
temperature as quickly as possible. Showering also helps to
prevent shrinkage and wrinkling of the product casing.

The cooling process is also carefully monitored and controlled. The

temperature of the cooked product must be lowered to a specific
temperature within a desired time. The FDA Food Code specifies
that a product must be lowered from 1400F to 700F within 2 hours,
then from 700F to 410F or less within an additional 4 hours. To meet
the FSIS stabilization requirements of no more than 1-log growth of
Clostridium perfringens uncured product can be cooled from 1300F
to 80ºF with 1.5 hours and 80ºF to 40ºF in 5 hours. These
guidelines are described in FSIS Directive 7110.3, “Time/
Temperature Guidelines For Cooling Heated Products.”

Peeling Peelers are used by the sausage manufacturer to remove non-

edible casings from sausage products during the later stages of the
production process.
____________________________________
Producers of dry sausages and semi-dry sausages utilize
Dry Sausages controlled, bacterially-induced fermentation to preserve the meat
and impart flavor. The most common examples of dry sausages are
salami and pepperoni. The dry category also includes shelf-stable
non-fermented products such as beef jerky. Again, there are many
variations of process steps and ingredients, resulting in the vast
array of products available to the consumer. We are not going to
deal with all possible products, rather, we will concentrate on the
most common examples of these types of products.

In addition to the standard production stages identified for fresh,

cooked and smoked sausages, dry sausages have additional
production steps, including:

§ Blending special curing ingredients

§ Drying process

Let’s briefly review each of these additional special production steps

used to produce dry and semi-dry sausages.

Blending Special The meats used in dry sausages

0
are typically ground or chopped at
Curing Ingredients low meat temperatures (20-25 F) to maintain the well defined fat
and lean particles that are desired in this type of sausage. The
ground meats and spices are then mixed with curing ingredients,
such as nitrates, nitrites, antioxidants, and bacterial starter cultures.

Page 14
 Salts have traditionally been used to help preserve sausages.
Eventually, producers learned that nitrates and nitrites in the salts
were essential to the curing process. Manufacturers of dry and
semi-dry sausages use a curing agent consisting of salt and nitrates
and/or nitrites. Approved antioxidants may also be added to protect
flavor and prevent rancidity, and are limited to .003% individually, or
0.006% in combination with other antioxidants. These ingredients
must be uniformly distributed throughout the mixture to achieve the
maximum microbiological stability.

Bacterial fermentation is then used to produce the lower pH (4.7 to

5.4) that results in the tangy flavor associated with this type of
sausage. In earlier days of sausage making, the bacteria growth
was uncontrolled, resulting from bacterial contamination of the meat
or production equipment, producing unreliable results. Traditionally,
sausage makers held the salted meat at low temperatures for a
week or more allow plenty of time for the lactic acid bacteria coming
from the environment to reproduce in the meat mixture.
Unfortunately, this traditional method was not always reliable and
subject to several errors such as cutting the time short, adding too
much or too little salt, or growth of the wrong lactic acid bacteria.
Therefore, modern producers of dry sausage use a commercial
lactic bacteria starter culture and simple sugars, such as dextrose or
corn sugar, that promote lactic acid bacterial growth by serving as
food to fuel the bacteria during fermentation. The bacteria starters
are harmless, and are limited to 0.5% in both dry and semi-dry
sausage formulations. Commercial bacteria starter cultures
typically consist of a blend of microorganisms such as Pediococcus,
Micrococcus, and Lactobacillus, using specific species such as P.
cerevisiae, P. acidilactici, M. aurantiacus, and L. plantarum. The
bacterial fermentation lowers the sausage pH by producing lactic
acid. This lower pH also causes the proteins to give up water,
resulting in a drying effect that creates an environment that is
unfavorable to spoilage organisms, which helps to preserve the
product. However, mold may grow, and could become a problem

Some small producers may still allow the mixture to age in a

refrigerator for several days to encourage the fermentation process,
even though they are using starter cultures. However, most modern
processors stuff the mixture directly into casings, which then
undergoes a fermentation process at about 70°F to 110°F
(depending on the starter type). This fermentation process is
designed to allow the bacteria to continue to incubate. The
fermentation occurs during a one to three day process that takes
place in a “greening room” which provides a carefully controlled
environment designed to obtain specific fermentation results.
Temperatures are typically maintained at approximately 750F, and
relative humidity at 80%. Semi-dry sausages are usually fermented
for shorter periods at slightly higher temperatures.

Cooking/Smoking What happens after fermentation depends on the type of product

being produced. Semi-dry sausages like summer sausage are

Page 15
 almost always smoked and cooked before drying. Dry sausages like
pepperoni are rarely smoked, and may or may not be cooked.
Today, some establishments choose to heat treat these dry
sausages as a critical step designed to eliminate E.coli. A moist
heat process may be used for some products. This process utilizes
a sealed oven or steam injection to raise the heat and relative
humidity to a meet a specific temperature/time requirement
sufficient to eliminate pathogens (e.g., 1300F minimum internal
temperature for 121 minutes, or 1410F minimum internal
temperature for 10 minutes). [Processors should consult the FSIS
regulations 9 CFR 318.10 and the Cattlemen’s Blue Ribbon book for
processes designed to control E. coli.] The product is then sent on
to the drying stage of the process.

Drying Process The drying process is a critical step in ensuring product safety. FSIS
requires that these products undergo a carefully controlled and
monitored air drying process that cures the product by removing
moisture from the product. Pork-containing products must be
treated to destroy trichinae (see 9 CFR 318.10). Sausages not
containing pork have no such requirement.

Manufacturers are required to control the ratio of moisture to protein

in the final product. The Moisture/Protein Ratio (MPR) is controlled
by varying the amount of added water based on the overall product
formulation, and, primarily by the drying procedure. In some
products, the MPR can affect the final microbiological stability of the
product. In other products the MPR is important to ensure elements
of the overall product quality, such as the texture. The minimum
requirement for all products produced in FSIS inspected facilities is
that they must meet the FSIS policy standards for MPR (see chart
below). However, these prescribed treatments have proved to be
insufficiently lethal for some bacterial pathogens. Thus, most of the
industry has volunteered to implement a more rigorous treatment.

The drying process consists of placing the product in a drying room

under a relative humidity of 55-65%, in a process that can last from
10 days to as long as 120 days, depending on the product diameter,
size, and type. The drying process is designed to produce a final
product with approximately 30 – 40% moisture, and an MPR
generally of 1.9:1 or less, to ensure proper drying and a safe
product. Facilities must keep accurate records of the temperature
and the number of days in the drying room for each product
manufacturing run to help ensure product safety and consistency.

The drying environment is controlled to ensure that the drying rate is

slightly higher than the rate required to remove moisture from the
sausage surface as it migrates from the sausage center. Drying too
quickly will produce a product with a hard and dry casing. Drying
too slowly results in excessive mold and yeast growth, and
excessive bacterial slime on the product surface.

The controlled drying process is designed to reduce moisture to the

point where the final product has a specific MPR. This process will

Page 16
 vary depending on the specific facility operation and the
specifications desired for the final product. For example, pepperoni
is required to maintain an MPR of 1.6:1, indicating a requirement of
1.6 parts moisture to one part protein. Genoa salami should have
an MPR of 2.3:1, and all other dry sausages an MPR of 1.9:1.
Inspectors may sample the products to determine compliance with
the specified MPR.

Semi-dry sausages are prepared in a similar manner, but undergo a

shorter drying period, producing a product with a moisture level of
about 50%. These products are often fermented and finished by
cooking in a smokehouse, at first at a temperature of approximately
1000F and a relative humidity of 80%. The temperature is later
increased to approximately 140 – 1550F to ensure that
microbiological activity is halted. Since the moisture level of the
final product is about 50%, semi-dry sausages must be refrigerated
to prevent spoilage. Examples of semi-dry sausages include
summer sausage, cervelat, chorizo, Lebanon bologna, and
thuringer.

This chart identifies the FSIS MPR policy standards for some dry
and semi-dry sausage products. These standards are not in the
regulations, they are contained in the FSIS Food Standards and
Labeling Policy Book.

FSIS Policy Standards, Moisture-Protein Ratio (MPR) for Dry and Semi-Dry Sausages

Sausage product Maximum moisture to one part protein

Jerky, Pemmican 0.75 : 1
Pepperoni 1.6 : 1
Dry sausage (e.g., hard salami) 1.9 : 1
(line deleted)
Summer sausage, shelf-stable 3.1 : 1 + pH 5.0
Dry salami 1.9 : 1
Genoa salami 2.3 : 1
Sicilian salami 2.3 : 1
Italian salami 1.9 : 1
Thuringer (semi dry sausage) 3.7 : 1
Ukrainian sausage 2.0 : 1
Farmer Summer sausage 1.9 : 1

Although these are the FSIS standards for dry and semi-dry
sausages, they can provide a basis for State and local decisions
about whether specific processes are adequately designed to
ensure product safety.

To ensure that the fermentation and drying processes are sufficient

to reduce or eliminate any pathogens present in the product, the
procedures must be validated to demonstrate that they achieve a
specific reduction in organisms (e.g., a 5-log reduction in E. coli
0157:H7).

Page 17
 ____________________________________
In this section we'll take a brief look at some of the standard
Sausage equipment and processes that are used to produce sausages, along
Production with the safety issues that should be addressed for each item.
There are many different manufactures of equipment, and you will
Equipment see many variations of these basic equipment types.

Grinders Grinders are used to chop the meat ingredients into small pieces.
Meat is fed from a hopper, passed along a cylinder with an auger or
worm, to a perforated plate where it is sliced away by a series of
revolving blades. The friction produces a rise in temperature, which
potentially could result in bacterial growth if not controlled.

Blenders Blenders use screw-like agitators to mix the solid ground meat
mixture with any additional non-meat ingredients to create a
consistent distribution of all ingredients within the formulation.

Bowl Choppers Bowl Choppers (silent cutters) utilize a series of knives that chop
and mix the product formulation. The friction of the knives passing
through the meat will raise the temperature of the meat mixture.

Stuffers Stuffers are used to extrude the sausage formulation into the
casing. The ground mixture is fed from a hopper into a reservoir
and forced through a nozzle into the casing.

Since grinders, blenders, choppers, and stuffers come into contact

with the product formulation, they must be cleaned daily, cleaned
every time that a new formulation is processed, and be kept free of
excess product during the process. This will ensure that any
contamination is not passed on to the product formulation.

Smokehouses Smokehouses are heated drying rooms into which the manufacturer
injects smoke. The smoke adds specific flavors to the product, and
helps dry and cure the product. The smokehouse may also serve
as a controlled thermal processing chamber, and is used to dry,
smoke, heat, cool, and add humidity to the product.

Smokehouse Smokehouse recorders are devices that monitor and track the
Recorders smoking duration for each sausage production run. The smoking
process must be carefully controlled to ensure a consistent level of
product quality.

Temperature The temperature of drying, smoking, and cooking chambers must

Monitoring be carefully monitored and controlled to ensure a consistent
product, and to ensure that process temperatures/times are
maintained at a sufficient level to eliminate pathogens.

Peelers Peelers are used by the sausage manufacturer to remove non-

edible casings from sausage products during the later stages of the
production process. Steam is generally used in the peeler to loosen
the casings, creating a warm, moist environment. Peelers use a

Page 18
 blade that slices the casing, touching each sausage that goes by,
this is an ideal environment for bacteria, especially Listeria. Peelers
must be carefully monitored because of the potential for bacterial
growth.

Greenrooms / Greenrooms and drying rooms are used to cure and dry the
Drying Rooms sausage product. In some cases, the environment is designed to
support controlled, bacterially-induced fermentation processes that
are used to cure the product and impart special flavorings.

Coolers Coolers use refrigeration to lower the temperature of the sausage

product.

Packaging Equipment The final sausage product is often packaged prior to sale.
Packaging typically consists of wrapping the product in plastic film.
The packaging protects the product from cross contamination, and
helps to retard spoilage caused by contact with the air.

__________________________________
In this section, we will go over the types of ingredients that
Ingredients in are used to produce standard sausage products, including
Sausages fresh sausages, cooked and smoked sausages, and dry
sausages. Each type of sausage uses a different mix of
ingredients.

“Variety Meats” Sausage products provide the manufacturer with an

opportunity to utilize various types of meat by-products, also
known as “variety meats”, such as hearts, tongues, livers,
tripe, and pork stomachs. The specific amount and type of
variety meats used in a product depends on the formula
designed by the processor. USDA regulations allow use of
variety meats, only in cooked sausage like hot dogs, as long
as the name of the product is modified to include the words
“with by-products” or “with variety meats”, and the particular
types of variety meats are included in the ingredients list in
the order of predominance in the formulation. (see 9 CFR
319.180)

Manufacturers also often use specific types of variety meat

to impart specific flavors or characteristics to the final
product. For example, hearts may be used to help create
the dark red color desired for summer sausages.

Ensuring All meat and meat by-products used in sausage formulations

Wholesomeness must be clean, wholesome and properly labeled. Receiving
of raw ingredients is an important step in ensuring food
safety. The manufacturing facility should inspect all incoming
meat to ensure that is not contaminated. Even previously

Page 19
 inspected meat should be re-inspected to ensure that it has
not become contaminated during transit.

Properly Identifying FSIS regulations require that the manufacturer properly

Meat ingredients identify the types and amounts of meat and meat by-
products present in the final product. The actual ingredients
must match the ingredients listed on the label.

However, once the meat products are chopped or ground,

they lose their visual identity, making it difficult to identify
specific ingredients in a formulation. Sausage
manufacturers are therefore required to carefully identify and
track ingredients throughout the production process, and
ensure that unlisted meat items are not accidentally or
purposely substituted during the production process.

"Rework" Sometimes a product that has partially or fully completed the

production cycle is not sell-able but still wholesome, and can
be used for food. For example, the casing of some
sausages may split during the cooking or smoking cycle.
Manufacturers are allowed to reuse these edible but
unsalable products by removing the casing and adding the
contents to the grinder to include in another run of the same
product. Manufacturers are not allowed to use this “rework”
in a product with a different list of ingredients. Rework has
little binding ability since the proteins are coagulated, so the
amounts added are self-limiting, in that it has a detrimental
effect on product quality.

Non-Meat A number of non-meat ingredients are essential to the

Ingredients sausage making process. These non-meat ingredients
stabilize the mixture and add specific characteristics and
flavors. These typically include extenders and binders,
water, salt, nitrite, nitrate, ascorbates, erythorbates, sugars,
antioxidants, phosphates, mold inhibitors, extenders, along
with traditional spices, seasonings and flavorings. In this
section, we will look at the effect and use of each of these
ingredients.

Binders and Binders and extenders have a number of uses in a sausage

Extenders formulation. Manufacturers use extenders such as dry milk
powder, cereal flours, and soy protein as a lower cost
method to increase the overall yield of the formulation, to
improve binding qualities and slicing characteristics, and to
add specific flavor characteristics. A sausage formulation
can include up to 3.5% of these substances.

Water While water is a naturally-occurring component of meat,

manufacturers also add water to the formula in specific
amounts to improve the consistency of the mixture and to
substitute for fats. FSIS regulations permit manufacturers
of fresh sausages to add water up to 3% of the total product
weight.

Page 20
 Cooked sausage manufacturers are allowed to vary the
amount of added water according to the amount of fat. The
maximum fat content is limited to 30%, and the amount of fat
and water combined is limited to 40%, so the manufacturer
can increase water to substitute for reduced fat. Typically,
the amount of naturally occurring water is determined by
computing four times the protein content. Any moisture
above that amount is considered added water.

Salt Salt is an essential ingredient of any sausage formulation.

Salt is used to preserve the product, enhance the flavor, and
to solubilize the meat proteins in order to improve the
binding properties of the formulation.

Since the advent of refrigeration, the preservative properties

are the least important use of salt, though dry sausages still
use salt for preservation. A salt concentration of around
17% is necessary for preservation to be effective.

The most important use of salt in a sausage product is its

ability to solubilize proteins. This enhances the product
texture and improves water and fat binding.

Since sodium chloride (NaCl) salt has been linked to

hypertension, other non-sodium salts, such as potassium
and calcium chlorides, are sometimes substituted for a
portion of the sodium chloride.

Curing Agents Curing agents such as nitrite and nitrate have traditionally
been used in sausage formulations, originally as a
contaminant present in salts, and later added intentionally in
the form of saltpeter. Nitrites provide bacteriostatic and
antioxidant properties, and improve the taste and color of the
sausage. Nitrites help to control the growth of bacteria in
vacuum-packed products, such as frankfurters and luncheon
meats. Nitrites prevent the outgrowth of bacteria, such as
the lethal Clostridium botulinum bacterium that causes
botulism. Nitrites also inhibit the oxidation of fats in meats,
reducing the development of oxidative rancidity. Nitrites
produce the desired reactions much faster and are much
more commonly used than nitrates. The use of nitrate by
large processors is rare, because the process of converting
the nitrate into nitrite within the product is much slower and
less reliable than addition of nitrite directly.

Since nitrites and nitrates can be toxic to humans, the use of

these ingredients in sausage formulations is carefully
controlled. They are sometimes referred to as "restricted
ingredients." Supplies of sodium nitrite and potassium nitrite
and mixtures containing them must be kept securely under
the care of a responsible employee of the establishment.
The specific nitrite content of such supplies must be known

Page 21
 and clearly marked accordingly. The maximum level of these
additives that is acceptable is spelled out in the FSIS
regulations, as indicated below.

Substance Amount
Sodium or potassium nitrate 2 ¾ oz. to 100 lb. chopped meat
Sodium or potassium nitrite ¼ oz. to 100 lb. chopped meat

The amount of nitrite added to product must be regulated at the

formulation step, based on the total amount of meat and meat by-
products. Nitrites dissipate quickly in the finished product, and the
parts per million in the finished product does not necessarily reflect
the amount that was used in formulation. This makes sampling the
finished product for nitrite an impractical control measure.

Cure Cure accelerators such as ascorbates and erythorbates are

Accelerators used to speed the curing process. They also stabilize the
color of the final product.

Ingredient Maximum amount

Ascorbic acid 3/4 oz. per 100 pounds of meat
Erythorbic acid 3/4 oz. per 100 pounds of meat
Sodium erythorbate 7/8 oz. per 100 pounds of meat
Citric acid May replace up to 50% of above listed ingredients
Sodium citrate May replace up to 50% of above listed ingredients
Sodium acid pyrophosphate Alone or in combination with others may not exceed 8 oz. (0.5%)
Glucono delta lactone 8 oz. per 100 pounds of meat
(GDL)

Sugars Sugars are used in sausage formulations to reduce the flavor

intensity of the salt and flavorings, and to provide a food source to
enable microbial fermentation. Sugars used in sausage products
include sucrose and dextrose.

Antioxidants Antioxidants are approved for use in fresh sausages to retard

oxidative rancidity and protect flavor. Approved antioxidants include
butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA),
propyl gallate, tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), and tocopherols.
These compounds are added to the spice mixtures, based on the
actual percentage of fat in the fresh product formulations (typically
0.01% separately, 0.02% in combination), or the total meat block
weight for dry sausage formulations (typically 0.003%).

Phosphate Phosphates are used to improve the water-binding capacity of the

meat, solubilize proteins, act as antioxidants, and stabilize the
flavor and color of the product. Their maximum benefit to the
processor is to reduce purge, or water that is cooked out of
product. Phosphates also help to increase shelf life of a product.
The maximum amount of phosphates approved for sausage
products is limited to 0.5 percent of the finished product weight. If
used, they must be food-grade.

Page 22
 Mold Inhibitors Mold is a commonly encountered problem in the production of dry
sausages. The common technique for inhibiting the growth of mold
is to dip the sausage in a mold inhibitor solution, typically 2.5
percent solution of potassium sorbate or a 3.5 percent solution of
propylparaben.

Glucono Delta Glucono Delta Lactone (GDL) is a cure accelerator that produces an
Lactone (GDL) acid tangy flavor similar to flavor resulting from natural fermentation.
It is allowed at 8 oz. to each 100 lb. of meat.

Spices, Seasonings, Spices, seasonings, and flavorings are used to add flavor to the
and Flavorings sausage, and also affect the consistency of the ground mixture.
The wide range of available spices, seasonings, and flavorings is a
primary reason for the variety available in sausages.

Spices are defined as any aromatic vegetable substance that is

intended to function as contributing flavoring in food instead of
contributing to the nutritional substance of the food. The active
aromatic or pungent properties of spices that contribute the most to
the flavoring effect are mostly present in the volatile oils, resins, or
oleoresins of the spice. These properties are present in the whole
spice, or in extracts of the active components. The use of spice
extracts has some advantages over using whole spices, including
providing more control over the intensity of the flavor, less
opportunity for microbial contamination, easier storage, and a less
conspicuous visual appearance compared with spice particles.

Spice extracts must be labeled as “Flavorings” in the product

ingredients list. Flavorings are substances that are extracted from
a food (such as fruits, herbs, roots, or meats, seafood, etc.) that are
also intended to contribute flavoring instead of nutritional substance.

“Seasonings” is another general term that refers to any substances

that are used to impart flavor to the food product. Some examples
of common spices and seasonings include allspice, pepper,
cardamom, caraway, coriander, cumin, garlic, sage, mustard,
nutmeg, paprika, pepper, rosemary, sage, thyme, and turmeric.
_________________________________
One of the most important tasks for the inspector in the sausage
Performing production facility is to check the formulation of the product.
Sausage Inspection program personnel should select a batch of sausage
product, check the sample batch for accurate identification of the
Formulation types and weights of the component ingredients, and calculate the
Calculations maximum and minimum amounts of restricted ingredients.

Establishments which produce sausage product are encouraged to

use as a reference a procedure chart that identifies the production
process and ingredients for the product.

The chart should include:

Page 23
 • the product type and name;
• the type and amounts of meats and meat by-products in the
product;
• the type and amounts of cure agents;
• the method of formulation, such as chopping time and
emulsifying time and method;
• the type of casing and method of stuffing;
• the smoking/ cooking time and temperature, along with
expected shrinks;
• and the chilling time and expected chill shrinks.

____________________________________________________

Calculating Added Water, and Antioxidant -

Fresh Pork Sausage Formulation (with BHA added to protect flavor)
Ingredients: Pork, water, salt, sugar, spices, BHA (Formulated to yield a finished product fat limit of
40%)

Batch formula
Regular Pork Trimmings (60% fat) 280.00 lb. Fresh Pork Sausage
Special Pork Trimmings (30% fat) 156.00 lb. Limitations
Water 15.00 lb. § Limited to 50% Fat or
Fresh Sausage Seasoning 9.00 lb. less
Total 460.00 lb.
§ Added Water/ice up
to 3%
The Fresh Sausage Seasoning formulation is :
§ Antioxidant amount
Salt 5 lb.
based on fat – limited
Sugar 2 lb.
to 0.01%
Black Pepper 15 oz
Sage 11 oz
Nutmeg 5.64 oz
BHA (Antioxidant) 0.36 oz
Total 9.0 lb.
____________________________________________________

The inspector reviews the sausage formulation

and evaluates a number of issues. For example,
the inspector would determine whether the added
water content in the above formulation complies
with the limit for this type of product, or whether
the type and amount of antioxidant is allowed in
this type of product. Let’s quickly go over the
process to answer each of these questions.

Is added water content The amount of added water and/or ice in fresh
within limits? sausage is limited to 3% of the product weight.
The inspector will use these steps to determine
the amount of water permitted in this formulation.

460 lb. (100%) First, subtract the water from the total formula
-15 lb. (3%) weight to determine the total weight minus the
445 lb. (97%) water.

Page 24
 Then divide the formula weight minus the water by
the total weight without water (.97) to determine
445/.97 = 458.76 the total formulation weight with the allowed
amount of water added.

Then multiply the total formulation weight with the

allowed amount of water added by 3% (allowed
percentage of water). This results in a total
458.76 lb. X .03 = 13.76 allowed water amount of 13.76 lb. in this
lb. formulation. In this case, the added water
exceeds the allowable limits for this product.

Is the type and amount Antioxidants in fresh sausage are limited to 0.01%
of antioxidant within of the total amount of fat in the product. In this
limits? example, we will assume that the target fat
amount of 40% in this formulation has been
confirmed.
460
X 0.40 The first step is to determine the weight of the fat.
184 lb. Multiply the batch weight by the fat content (40%)

Then multiply the fat content by the permitted

amount of antioxidant (0.01%) to determine the
184 X 0.0001 = 0.0184 lb. maximum allowable amount of BHA in this
formulation.

16oz X 0.0184 = 0.294 oz Convert pounds to ounces (16 oz/lb.)

In this case, the maximum allowed amount of the

antioxidant BHA in this formulation is 0.294 oz.
The Fresh Sausage Seasoning formulation
specifies 0.36 oz. The BHA in this formulation
exceeds the regulatory limit.

Inspectors can use similar calculations to

determine a range of issues, such as whether the
fat percentage or binder and extender amount
targets will be achieved.
___________________________________________________________

Calculating Curing Agents -

Frankfurter Formulation
Ingredients: Beef and Pork, water, nonfat dry milk, mustard, spices, erythorbic acid, sodium nitrite

Batch formula
Beef 185 lb.
Pork 225 lb.
Bacon ends and pieces 50 lb.
Water and ice 80 lb.
Rework (like product) 50 lb.
Nonfat dry milk 20 lb.
Salt 9 lb.

Page 25
Mustard (29% protein) 5 lb.
Spice mix (12% protein) 4 lb.
Erythorbic acid 4 oz.
Cure mix (8% nitrite) 12 oz.

Inspectors analyze sausage formulations to

determine if the amount of nitrites is within
acceptable limits.

Since it may be difficult to accurately measure

small amounts in a commercial production
environment, manufacturers often use a
commercially premixed cure mix, containing the
proper amount of nitrites and nitrates along with a
salt carrier. To minimize the risk of using too
much of these ingredients, cure mix is often
marketed in small packets that are pre-weighed
for a certain size batch of product. This eliminates
the need to weigh out the cure mix at the facility.
It is still important to ensure that the cure mix
packet is being added to the proper size batch of
product.

For example, to review the amount of nitrites in

185
the above formulation, first determine the total
+ 225
amount of meat and meat by-products. In this
410
case, add the beef and pork. Note that the bacon
ends and pieces and rework are not factored in,
since they are already assumed to have cure
added to their formulation.

The total allowed amount of nitrites for chopped

meat sausage is .25 ounces per 100 pounds of
410/100 = 4.1
meat and meat-by products, so the next step is to
divide the total amount of meat by 100 to
determine how many “units” of 100 pounds are in
the formulation.

Then multiply the units of 100 pounds of meat by

4.1 X .25 = 1.025
.25 to determine how many ounces of nitrite are
oz nitrite allowed
allowed in the formulation.

Since the amount of nitrite in the cure is 8%,

divide the amount of allowed nitrite by .08 to
1.025 ÷ .08 = determine the total amount of cure mix that is
12.81 oz cure mix allowed in this mixture. In this case, the cure mix
allowed amount specified for this formulation is within
acceptable limits.

_____________________________________
During a 6 month period beginning August 1998, the Center for

Page 26
 Disease Control (CDC) reported at least 50 illnesses caused by
Biological Listeria monocytogenes bacterium. Six adults died, and two
Hazards of pregnant women had spontaneous abortions. The source of the
contamination was later traced via routine FSIS monitoring/sampling
Concern to to hot dogs and deli meats produced by a facility in Michigan.
Sausage Estimates of the overall magnitude of the problem are imprecise.
Makers During 1998, at least 9787 laboratory-confirmed cases of illness
related to foodborne contamination were confirmed, however, only a
fraction of the persons who experience foodborne illnesses are
believed to seek medical care, and even a smaller number to submit
laboratory specimens.

Government health agencies actively monitor foods for the

presence of pathogens such as Campylobacter, Escherichia coli
0157, Listeria, Salmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, Yersinia,
Cryptosporidium and Cyclospora. Sausage makers must ensure
that their products are not contaminated by pathogens such as
Listeria, E. coli 0157, Salmonella, Trichinae, and Staphylococcus
enterotoxin.

Public health laboratories around the U.S. now have the capability
to conduct molecular subtyping of pathogens present in humans
and foods using Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE)
technology, a type of “fingerprinting” that allows the agencies to link
illnesses to specific products, and trace the source of any
contaminated products to determine the cause. This is improving
the ability of public health agencies to monitor and mitigate the
effects of contaminated food products.

In this section we will review some common types of

microorganisms and pathogens that can be present in the meats
typically used to produce sausages, common methods of reducing
or eliminating these pathogens, and product characteristics and
conditions that influence the type and rate of growth of these
microorganisms and pathogens.

Trichinella spiralis Trichinosis, the sometimes deadly disease caused by consumption

of the trichina parasite, Trichinella spiralis, is a major concern of
sausage producers. Trichina parasite larva commonly infest pork
muscle, so most cases occur in persons who have consumed
improperly treated or prepared pork products. Infections from
consumption of sausage products typically occur when a fresh
sausage product has not been adequately cooked by the consumer,
or the sausage product has not been properly treated by the
producer.

The microscopic size of the trichina parasite larvae (0.1 mm) makes
it difficult to identify in a typical packinghouse operation, so FSIS
requires that all pork be treated to destroy the parasite, via heating,
refrigeration, or curing.

In the sausage processing industry, heating is the most common

Page 27
 treatment method. A temperature of 1440F is considered fatal to all
trichinae organisms. This temperature is typically exceeded during
the cooking process, however, products that are partially cooked at
lower temperatures, such as smoked pork sausage, require
additional treatment. These products typically undergo a
formulation and curing process designed to eliminate trichinae. The
process includes controlling the size of the chopped meat in the
product, ensuring a specific salt content, and specifying the length
of time in a drying room at a specific temperature. Another form of
treatment to eliminate trichina is freezing. These treatments are
described in FSIS regulation § 318.10 and are found in the
appendix of this document.

Escherichia coli Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a bacterial contaminant of sausage and

O157:H7 other meat products that can cause serious diarrheal illness,
sometimes resulting in complications that can lead to death. The
presence of E. coli in cooked sausages can be controlled by proper
cooking temperatures and times. E. coli contamination of dry
sausages can be reduced by closely controlling the fermentation
heating process, the acid content, and via post-fermentation heating
to 1450F or above. And with all sausage products, proper hygiene,
handling, and storage procedures are essential to control
contamination. One of the five options described by the Blue
Ribbon Task Force in their Dry Fermented Sausage and E. coli
O157:H7 report can be used to eliminate E. coli O157:H7 in the
finished product.

Salmonella Nontyphoidal salmonellosis is a leading cause of foodborne illness

in the U.S. As with E. coli, salmonella organisms can be eliminated
from cooked sausages by proper cooking processes. In dry
sausages, the producer must follow a combination of processes to
control the pathogen, including use of a fermentation starter culture,
increased product temperatures during fermentation, and careful
control of the product pH, cure, and salt content.

In addition, product handling procedures must be designed and

monitored to ensure that cross contamination of the finished product
with contaminants present in raw materials does not occur.

Listeria Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium found in soil and water that

monocytogenes can contaminate meats, and can cause a serious infection in
humans, called listeriosis. The organism can be found in many food
processing environments, and has been isolated from floor drains
and refrigeration drip pans. From these niches the organism gets
moved throughout the facility, and can end up on food contact
surfaces. Cross contamination between raw and cooked product
can also result in the presence of the bacteria on ready to eat
product. Detection of post processing product contamination by
Listeria monocytogenes can include sampling the processing lines
and environment.

Processors should consider the following elements in elimination of

Listeria monocytogenes:

Page 28
 § Examine how raw materials are handled before they are cooked
and determine how handling procedures might affect L.
monocytogenes levels in the product.
§ Determine the impact of rework practices on L. monocytogenes
levels in the raw product.
§ Examine product flow, processing patterns and employee
practices and determine where opportunities for cross-
contamination occur.

Healthy persons rarely develop serious illnesses from exposure to

Listeria. However, listeriosis is especially dangerous for pregnant
women, newborns, and persons with weakened immune systems.
Even with prompt treatment using antibiotics, listeriosis can cause
death. In the U.S., about 1850 persons become seriously ill with
Listeria each year, resulting in about 425 deaths.

FSIS has a zero tolerance for Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-

eat products, such as hot dogs and luncheon meats, and conducts
a monitoring program in facilities to test for the pathogen.
Treatment of sausages to eliminate Listeria monocytogenes is
similar to the steps to eliminate Salmonella, including thorough
cooking and proper storage of the product.

FSIS has information available about Listeria that is beyond the

scope of this project. The FSIS "Listeria Guidelines for Industry",
May 1999, are included as an appendix. Please consult the FSIS
website at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ for more information.

Campylobacter jejuni Campylobacter jejuni is the most commonly reported bacterial

cause of foodborne infection in the U.S., with an estimated 2.1 to
2.4 million cases each year. Campylobacter jejuni is found in many
foods of animal origin, including poultry and meats. Methods of
controlling and reducing Campylobacter jejuni in processing
facilities include forced air chilling of swine carcasses, and
implementation of standard hygienic practices.

Yersinia enterocolitica, the pathogen that causes the gastroenteritis

Yersinia illness yersiniosis, is another pathogen of concern.
enterocolitica

A number of product characteristics influence the growth of

Conditions that microorganisms. Each of these characteristics must be controlled
Influence Microbial to create an environment that is hostile to microbial growth. These
Growth and Product characteristics include:
Spoilage
§ Water activity (aw) present in the product
§ pH level of the product
§ Type/level of fermentable carbohydrate in formulation
§ Level of smoke (natural or artificial) used on product
§ Phosphate content of product
§ Residual nitrite level in product
§ Type/amount of spices/condiments applied to product
surface

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 § Time/temperature of product heat processing (cooking)
§ Product temperature during packaging
§ Amount of vacuum used in packaging
§ Rate of oxygen permeability of packaging materials

Microbial growth also results from defects in the product production

process and/or during product handling. Microorganisms can
survive the heating process due to inadequate heating time and
temperatures. Heat resistant bacteria may be present in rework.
Contamination can occur after processing, and during handling and
packaging. And spoilage can occur during the retail sale phase, if
the product is stored for an excessive length of time or at
temperatures in excess of 410F.

Producers of each category of sausage must control each of these

factors to minimize or eliminate the presence of pathogens.

Pathogen control in fresh sausage products presents a great

Pathogen Control in challenge to manufacturers. USDA regulations (9 CFR §318.10)
Fresh Sausage require the treatment of pork muscle to destroy any live trichina in
cases where the product may be consumed without being
thoroughly cooked, such as fresh sausage products with ingredients
that mask the product appearance. These are sausage products
with ingredients such as wine, paprika, or annatto which may impart
color to the meat formulation that could make it appear cooked and
mislead the consumers. The common methods of treatment to
destroy trichinae are heating, freezing, and curing.

Treatment is not required for products with a diameter of 1 inch or

less, or products stuffed in chubs and labeled with the word pork in
the product name. These products are normally sufficiently cooked
by the consumer to destroy trichinae.

Producers of cooked and smoked products also must take steps to

Pathogen Control in control pathogens. The heating process used during the production
of cooked sausage products is usually sufficient to destroy
Cooked and Smoked
pathogenic organisms. For example, manufacturers cook pork at
Sausage temperatures from 1200 – 1440 F to destroy trichinae.

In addition, the growth of pathogens such as L. monocytogenes is

dependent on the temperature of the product, the presence of salts
and other inhibitors, and the pH level of the product. The cure
mixture used by the manufacturer is designed to reduce the
presence of some pathogens. However, research indicates that
cure ingredients can have some heat protective effects, potentially
resulting in a higher or longer heating requirement.

The USDA has prescribed a 6.5 log reduction of Salmonella in meat

and a 7 log reduction in poultry during heat treatment or cooking of
ready-to-eat meat and poultry products to eliminate or reduce
Salmonella.

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 Pathogen Control in Producers of dry and semi-dry sausages must control the
Dry and Semi-dry fermentation, smoking, and drying processes to reduce any
Sausage pathogens present in the meat formulations. The pathogens of
concern in uncooked fermented sausages such as summer
sausage are Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes,
Staphylococcus aureus. FSIS has recommended a 5-log reduction
of E. coli O157:H7 in fermented sausage by validation of the
process. The pH, water activity and moisture-protein ratio of the
final product can also control the other pathogens of concern,
especially for shelf-stable fermented sausage products.

In addition, FSIS Regulations, section 319.10 contain procedures

for curing, drying and smoking pork products in order to destroy the
parasite Trichinella spiralis. These procedures prescribe different
salt content, and time and temperature for each of the stages in the
process.

Characteristics of growth for bacterial pathogens associated with meat and

poultry sausage products, along with examples of preventative measures

Pathogens Temperature pH Preventative/control measures

range for growth
Bacillus cereus 10 – 480 C 4.9 – 9.3 Proper holding/cooling
temperatures
Campylobacter jejuni 30 – 470 C 46.5 - 7.5 Proper pasteurization/ cooking,
freezing, avoiding cross-
contamination
Clostridium botulinum Addition of nitrites and salt,
Group I (Toxin Types A,B,F) 10 – 480 C > 4.6 refrigeration, acidification to below
Group II (Toxin types B,E, F) 3.3 – 450 C pH 4.6, reduction of moisture
below 0.93
Clostridium perfringens 15 – 500 C 5.5 – 8.0 Proper holding/cooling
temperatures.
Proper cooking time/temperatures
Escherichia coli O157:H7 10 – 420 C 4.5 – 9.0 Proper holding/cooling
temperatures.
Proper cooking time/temperatures
0
Listeria monocytogenes 2.5 – 44 C 5.2 – 9.6 Proper heat treatment, strict
sanitation program, separation of
raw and ready-to-eat production.
Salmonella 5 – 460 C 4–9 Proper heat treatment, separation
of raw and cooked products,
fermentation controls, decreased
water activity.
Staphylococcus aureus 6.5 – 460 C 5.2 – 9 Proper fermentation and pH
control, proper heat treatment and
post process product handling,
reduced water activity.
Yersinia enterocolitica 2 – 450 C 4.6 – 9.6 Proper refrigeration, heat
treatments, control of salt and
acidity, prevention of cross-
contamination.

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 Spoilage Bacteria, yeasts, and molds present on sausage products also
contribute to spoilage once the production of the product is complete.
Spoilage produces undesirable qualities, such as a sour taste or aroma.
The most common types of spoilage occurring on sausage products
appear as sliminess, souring, and greening.

Slimy spoilage is caused by yeasts and bacteria, such as

Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Weissella, and B. thermosphacta.
Colonies of these organisms form a uniform gray layer on the exterior of
the sausage casings. Slimy spoilage also appears as polysaccharide
ropes between sausages. This type of spoilage generally renders
packaged sausages unsaleable.

Souring occurs underneath the casing of the sausage, and is caused

when lactobacilli and enterococci consume lactose and sugars,
resulting in the production of acids as a metabolic by-product.

Greening typically occurs when anaerobically stored sausages are

exposed to air. H2O2 forms on the surface, or is created by organisms
in the interior of the product.

Spoilage bacteria typically result from contamination during the

manufacturing and handling processes that occur after cooking.
Spoilage can be reduced and the shelf life of sausages can be
increased by using proper hygiene and decontamination procedures at
the manufacturing facility to reduce the presence of organisms that
produce spoilage.

Shelf life is also increased through vacuum packaging of the product in

gas-impermeable packaging materials, and refrigerated storage at
appropriate temperatures. These methods all can inhibit the growth of
the spoilage bacteria.

_______________________________
As with any food product, proper worker hygiene, raw ingredient
Sanitation handling and storage procedures, and the final product handling
Issues and storage procedures are essential to control product
contamination by organisms that are harmful to humans. In this
section we will look at some of these sanitation issues.

Raw ingredients are typically inspected prior to entering the

sausage production facility/area. However, the manufacturer should
not assume that these ingredients are free of pathogenic organisms.
The manufacturer must ensure that raw ingredients are properly
stored in refrigerated areas to minimize the opportunities for growth
of pathogens. Workers handling these raw materials must not also
handle completed sausage products, since cross contamination can
occur. Equipment and facilities should be designed to prevent cross
contamination between raw and cooked products. And, of course,
sausage production workers should follow the standard hygienic
procedures that are required for all food production workers.

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Sausage production equipment must be maintained in a clean and
sanitary condition, under conditions that minimize the potential for
growth of pathogens. Grinding, blending, and stuffing equipment
must be completely disassembled and cleaned after each use or at
least daily. And when changing to a batch of another species of
meat, the entire grinding, blending, and stuffing assembly must be
disassembled and cleaned.

Grinders of fresh sausage products should develop and implement

rework, carry-over, and lot designation procedures that reflect an
acceptable degree of product exposure (i.e., economic risk) in the
event that a health risk is identified that results in recalling product
that is suspected of presenting a potential hazard to the public. This
may include developing a rework tracking system.

More information can be found in the document "Guidance for

Minimizing Impact Associated with a Food Safety Hazard in Raw
Ground Meat and Other FSIS Regulated Products”, December,
1998, included in the appendix and also available at the FSIS
website, http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/haccp/gbg99.htm.

And finally, the final products must be handled and stored according
to acceptable standards to minimize the opportunities for cross
contamination and spoilage.

The same key sanitation principles outlined in the Seafood HACCP

requirement can be utilized for retail sausage production:

Safety of water - Water must be potable. Private wells or sources

must be certified.

Condition and cleanliness of food contact surfaces - The

portions of this area that should be monitored daily are cleaning and
sanitizing of equipment, utensils, gloves, and outer garments that
come in contact with food, and the condition of gloves and outer
garments.

Prevention of cross-contamination - The issues in the area of

cross-contamination that should be monitored are employee
practices and physical separation of raw and cooked products.

Maintenance of hand-washing, hand-sanitizing, and toilet

facilities - The issues that should be monitored are the
concentration of hand-sanitizing solutions and that the toilet facilities
are in good repair.

Protection from adulterants and toxic compounds - Food must

be protected from contaminants such as condensation, floor splash,
glass, and toxic chemicals.

Employee health conditions - Employee health conditions must

be monitored daily.

Page 33
 Pest control - Pests must be excluded from food handling areas.

For more information please consult the Seafood HACCP materials.

_________________________________
HACCP Plan USDA-inspected meat and poultry establishments must have a
Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan that
Implementation documents a systematic approach to process control that will be
followed at the facility. The FDA model Food Code also requires
HACCP plans for retail food establishments that engage in the
curing and smoking process. This section is an overview of the
steps that the sausage manufacturer follows to develop its HACCP
plan. The plan must be designed to identify points in the production
process where biological, chemical, or physical hazards are present
that may cause a food to be unsafe for consumption. It must also
describe the associated preventative measures, if any, that will be
implemented to reduce or eliminate the potential problem.

The food establishment develops its own HACCP plan, which will be
unique to its processing facility and the products produced by the
facility. The first step is to assemble a HACCP team, including one
person who is HACCP-trained. Food establishments have flexibility
in how they write their HACCP plans, and each HACCP team is
required to make its own decisions on how it will apply the HACCP
system. Therefore, the inspector will see a wide variety in the
HACCP plans encountered at processing facilities.

FSIS provides examples of generic plans for each processing

categories, such as raw, ground; fully cooked, not shelf stable; not
heat treated, shelf stable; and heat treated, shelf stable; that food
establishment HACCP teams can use as the basis for developing
their individual, detailed plans. In addition, all food production
facilities are expected to have Sanitation Standard Operating
Procedures (SSOPs) in place, and may choose to utilize Good
Manufacturing Processes (GMP) that the HACCP team can build on
to develop their HACCP plan. This program only provides an
overview of HACCP implementation, a complete discussion is
beyond our scope. Consult the FSIS documents "Guidebook for
the Preparation of HACCP Plans" and "Generic HACCP Models" for
more information; they are available at the website,
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/haccp/imphaccp.htm. These
documents contain detailed examples of HACCP documents.

In this section we will go over the elements of the HACCP plan, and
describe the typical implementation process.

The HACCP team must describe each food product for each
Product Description process category that is manufactured in the establishment. The
retail establishment HACCP team should reference the product
name, intended consumer, how the product is used, type of
package, shelf life, display temperature, where and how displayed,

Page 34
 and labeling. Ingredients used should be identified by listing in order
of predominance.

Process Flow Diagram The HACCP team should produce a simple description of the steps
involved in the production process.

HACCP team members can confirm that the diagram documents

the process flow by physically walking through the facility and
correlating each step of the process with each step in the process
flow diagram. Appendix A contains examples of process flow
diagrams for sausage products.

Hazard Analysis The first part of the hazard analysis is an evaluation of the
specific food process and manufacturing establishment, and
considers the effect of a wide range of factors on the safety of
the food. The potential risk and severity of each hazard is
assessed by the HACCP team, and preventative measures
are identified.

Examples of Typical Hazards addressed by the HACCP team include biological,

Hazards, along with chemical, or physical properties that may cause a food to be unsafe
Control and for consumption.
Prevention Measures
These hazards can affect both the product ingredients and the
production process.

§ Biological hazards mainly consist of contamination of the

product with pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella, and
parasites, such as Trichinella sprialis. Raw ingredients must be
properly treated, stored, and handled. As noted earlier, heating,
refrigeration and curing are used to control or prevent these
types of biological hazards from contaminating the product.

§ Chemical hazards consist of contamination of the product by

unapproved chemicals or ingredients. Chemical contaminants
could include pesticides, fertilizers, cleaners, lubricants, paints,
food chemicals such as preservatives and processing aids, and
naturally occurring chemicals, such as aflatoxins, lead, arsenic,
and PCBs. An excess of approved chemicals in the product
also presents a hazard. For example, including an excessive
amount of acidifiers or antioxidants in the product formulation
creates a chemical hazard. In addition, the packaging materials
should be certified by the producer for the intended use to
ensure that chemicals present in the packaging are not harmful.

§ Physical hazards consist of contamination of the product by

foreign objects, such as rocks, wood, metal glass, screws,
plastics, or jewelry that may inadvertently enter the product
mixture.

This chart lists some hazards along with standard control/prevention

measures.

Page 35
 Typical hazards along with standard control/prevention measures.
(note: B – Biological contamination, C – Chemical contamination, P – Physical contamination.)

Ingredients B C P Hazard Description Control / Prevention measure

Acidifiers, X
antioxidants, Toxicological effects if limits Use ingredients guaranteed to meet
binders/extenders, are exceeded product specifications /
curing agents, requirements.
flavorings, mold
inhibitors,
phosphates,
sweeteners
Meat ingredients X Growth of pathogens due to Product temperature must be
(beef, pork, poultry improper storage, handling, sufficient to limit excess microbial
and meat by- and/or transport. Foreign growth. Product must meet
products) particle contamination (e.g., specifications. Product must be
bone particles) produced under HACCP plan. Visual
examination of product to identify
particle contamination.
Packaging X X Toxicological effects Use only packaging materials
materials certified as safe by the manufacturer.
Spices/herbs X X X Contamination from Use ingredients guaranteed by the
microorganisms, agricultural manufacturer to meet product
chemicals, and/or foreign specifications / requirements.
materials
Vegetables X X X Growth of pathogens due to Ingredient spec sheet identifying
improper storage, handling, required ingredient parameters,
contamination with agricultural control storage temperatures to
chemicals, and/or foreign preclude microbial growth.
materials

Processing Steps B C P Hazard Description Control / Prevention measure

Cooking X Survival of pathogens due to Time/temperature combination

improper procedures
Cooling X Growth of pathogens due to
improper temperatures,
germination of spore-forming
pathogens due to slow chilling
(e.g., C. perfringens.)
Drying (Meat) X Bacterial growth due to
inadequate control over time,
temperature and humidity.
Formulation X X Contamination during
employee handling, incorrect
formulations, contamination
through damaged packages.
adequate to destroy specific
pathogens.
Cooked product must be cooled
according to established procedures.
Achieving specific water activity
levels to inhibit the growth of
pathogenic microorganisms.
Maintaining careful employee
practices, ensure ingredients are
consistent with requirements, ensure
packaging is clean and intact.

Page 36
Freezing (Meats) X Survival of parasites due to
improper time/temperature
application, growth of
pathogens due to temperature
abuse.
Grinding X X X Contamination during
handling, contamination from
lubricants, contamination from
damaged equipment.
Packaging X X X Contamination from
packaging, contamination from
damaged containers.
Peeling X X Contamination by pathogens
in product accumulations,
contamination from employee
handling, contamination from
foreign materials.
Receiving X X X Contamination through
damaged containers,
inappropriate storage
conditions (temp/humidity),
contamination on receiving
equipment, cross-
contamination from non-food
chemicals, contamination from
extraneous materials.
Reworking X X Contamination during
employee handling,
contamination from pathogens
in improperly stored product,
contamination by foreign
materials.
Shipping X X Pathogen growth due to
inadequate shipping
temperatures, contamination
from extraneous materials or
through damaged packages.
Thawing X Growth of pathogens due to
improper temperatures.
Rapid cooling and freezing.
Careful employee practices, careful
maintenance of equipment,
temperature control in grinding room
(<500F).
Ensure that packaging materials are
protected from contamination,
ensure that packaging is properly
utilized to ensure adequate barrier.
Ensure careful employee handling
processes, do not allow product to
accumulate in/on equipment,
maintain peeling equipment in proper
condition.
Product must be received in sound
containers, and stored at appropriate
temperature.
Proper/careful employee practices,
proper storage temperatures.
Product must be stored/shipped at
proper temperatures, packaging
should be intact, transport vehicles
must be clean.
Thawing room temperature should
not exceed 500F.

Hazard Identification The HACCP team creates a list of each of the production
steps, and identifies the hazards which might occur at each
step in the process and the preventive measures which
might be used to prevent, eliminate, or reduce each hazard
to an acceptable level. All significant hazards identified in
the hazard analysis must be addressed.

HACCP Plan The HACCP team then develops a facility-specific HACCP

Plan.

The HACCP team must identify the critical control points

(CCPs) in the process. A CCP is a point, step, or
procedure in a food process at which control can be applied

Page 37
 and, as a result, a food safety hazard can be prevented,
eliminated, or reduced to acceptable levels. The HACCP
plan lists the number and location of each CCP.

The HACCP team identifies the critical limits for each

identified CCP. The critical limit is the maximum or
minimum value to which a physical, biological, or chemical
hazard must be controlled at a CCP to prevent, eliminate or
reduce the hazard to an acceptable level.

The HACCP team establishes the monitoring requirements

and frequency for each CCP, including the personnel
responsible for monitoring the CCP. Monitoring is an
essential element of the food safety management,
consisting of a planned sequence of observations and
measurements to assess whether the CCP is under control.
Monitoring must be designed to produce an unbiased,
accurate record for verifying the accomplishment of safety
standards and tracking trends. A lack of proper, dated
records may be cause for suspending inspections of a
facility.

The next step is to establish corrective actions to be taken

when monitoring indicates a deviation from the established
critical limits for each CCP. The corrective actions include:

(1) Determining the disposition of the non-compliant

product;
(2) fixing or correcting the cause of the non-compliant
product;
(3) maintaining records of the deviation and the
corrective actions; and
(4) assuring that no hazardous product enters
commerce.

Record keeping is very important, and the HACCP plan

lists the records that are used to document the HACCP
system.

Finally, the HACCP team identifies the procedures to be

used for verifying that the HACCP system is working
correctly. Correctly. Verification is one of THE most
important steps because it ensures that the HACCP plan is
doing its job!
__________________________________
In this manual you reviewed the sausage production process,
Summary concentrating on issues affecting product quality and safety.
You reviewed the types of pathogens that may be present in
sausages, along with steps to reduce the pathogens present
in sausage products. And you received an overview of the
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system

Page 38
that helps manufacturers control the safety of food production
processes.

Modern sausage making is based on traditions often hundreds

of years in the making. The diversity of sausages currently
being manufactured at retail is possible due to use of methods
that are sometimes unique to this industry. Detailed
proscriptive regulations that dictate exact requirements for
retail manufacturing do not exist. Therefore, the 1999 Food
Code requires systematic evaluation as part of variance
granting process.

We encourage you to use HACCP principles as a systematic

approach to evaluating any food facility. While application of
HACCP principles at retail is still being discussed, there is
general recognition of proven effectiveness of the HACCP
methodology.

This course was designed to provide you with basic

information to assist you in your evaluations of retail facilities
that manufacture sausages. It was beyond the scope of our
course to provide highly detailed discussion on any one topic.
There is much more information available on these topics, and
we encourage you to seek out additional information to build
on what we have provided.

We have attempted to identify some of the resources that are

currently available. Also, consider contacting processing
experts in your local area who can provide invaluable advice
regarding specific processes. And feel free to contact us if we
can assist you in your problem solving efforts. We look
forward to continue to work together to strengthen our working
partnership in future years.

Page 39
 _________________________________
For more information contact:

Association of Food and Drug Officials
(AFDO)
P.O. Box 3425
York, PA 17402
Phone: (717) 757-2888
Fax: (717) 755-8089
afdo@blazenet.net
http://www.foodsafety.org/afdo/
USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service
(FSIS)
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/index.htm
FSIS Food Safety Virtual University
(FSVU)
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ofo/hrds/fsvu.html

FSIS Technical Service Center

(TSC)
Suite 300 Landmark Center
1299 Farnam Street
Omaha, NE 68102
Phone: (402) 221-7400 or
Toll free: 1-800-233-3935

Page 40
Sausage Glossary
This Glossary describes FSIS product standards and labeling requirements for sausage
products.

Adulteration The addition or inclusion of unclean, unwholesome, inferior, impure,

or foreign material to a food product.

Alessandri A type of dry Italian sausage. The true product name must be sown
on the packaging (i.e., "Alessandri Sausage").

Antioxidants Ingredients added to cooked or fresh sausages to retard oxidative

rancidity and protect flavor. Approved antioxidants include
butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA),
propyl gallate, tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) and tocopherols.

Arels or D'Arles A dry sausage similar to Milano Salami and made of coarsely
chopped meat and corded "crisscross style".

Ascorbic Acid Vitamin C. Can be synthetically manufactured from glucose, used to

accelerate color fixation in cured meats.

Bacon and Pork Sausage product formulated with a high percentage of bacon
Sausage (usually bacon ends and pieces) with at least 20% pork.

Bangers A sausage-like product prepared with meat and varying amounts of

rusk or other cereals. The label must show percentage of rusk (or
other cereals) adjacent to the product name in prominent lettering.
May be labeled British, Scottish, or Irish style.

Batch All the ingredients in the formulation.

Beerwurst, Bierwurst A cooked smoked sausage.

Berliner A cooked smoked sausage usually made from coarsely cut cured
pork in large casings. When beef is used, it shall not exceed 50%
of the meat block. Pork stomachs or beef tripe are not permitted.

Berliner Blood Sausage A cooked blood sausage containing diced bacon. After cooking, it is
dried and smoked. Ham, fat, snouts and lips are not permitted.

Binding The ability of sausage components to emulsify fats and water.

Bladders The urinary bladders of slaughtered animals, used as casings for

stuffing some sausage products.

Blockwurst A semi-dry type sausage, with a maximum MPR of 3.7 : 1.

Blood and Tongue A cooked sausage formulated with blood and some meat, including
Sausage cooked pork or beef tongues.

Page 41
 Blood sausage A cooked sausage formulated with blood and some meat. Usually
contains pork skins and/or pork jowls. May also contain sweet
pickled ham fat, snouts and lips. Of the product does not contain
meat, it must be labeled "Blood pudding".

Boudin A meat sausage or pudding usually made with chicken and veal, or
chicken and pork. It should be labeled "Boudin Sausage" (if it
meets the sausage standard), or Boudin Pudding". It may contain
by-products and rice, and is usually uncured.

Bratwurst This sausage may not contain by-products, eggs, liquid milk,
vegetables, or cheese. It may contain antioxidants.

Bratwurst, cooked Chicken has been approved in cooked bratwurst when identified in
the product name. Antioxidants are not permitted.

Bratwurst, Cured Products that meet the requirements for Bratwurst but also contain
cures must be labeled "Cured Bratwurst".

Braunschweiger Liver sausage - May use the following labeling options:

- Braunschweiger- A Liver sausage (or Liverwurst).
- Braunschweiger - (Liver sausage (or Liverwurst).

Breakfast Link Sausage Regular fresh sausage which does not have to be made with pork.

Breakfast Links or The names "Breakfast Links" and Breakfast Patties" are product
Patties names that must be followed with a descriptive product name.
Acceptable without compliance with the fresh pork sausage or
breakfast sausage standard. If the names "Breakfast Links" and
Breakfast Patties" are without further qualification, the product must
meet either the fresh pork standard or the breakfast sausage
standard.

Brine Water saturated or nearly saturated with salt.

Brisket The anterior lower portion of the chest of a beef carcass.

Bull An un-castrated mature male bovine.

Bungs The terminal end of the large intestines of slaughtered hogs, used
as casings for stuffing some sausage products. Refers to the
cecum or blind gut when derived from cattle.

Butifarra Sausage An uncured sausage. Labeling that features the term "Butifarra"
would require an additional product name:
- Pork sausage - for products that meet the fresh pork sausage
standard.
- Fresh Sausage - for products that include by product but do not
meet the standard for pork sausage.
- Sausage - for products that are incubated or fermented.
The term Puerto Rican Style would be applicable if manufactured in
Puerto Rico.

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 Buttermilk (Dried) Dried buttermilk derived from sweet cream is acceptable as an
ingredient in meat food products. Not permitted in sausage.

By-products The term "by-products" on meat product labels shall be

accompanied by the name of the species from which derived and
individually named (e.g., Beef By-products - Heart, kidney, liver).
They may also be listed by species (e.g., calf liver, beef heart, etc.)

Cacciatore, Cacciatora A dry Italian sausage. Cacciatora is an Italian term meaning hunter
or sportsman.

Calabrese A salami originating in Southern Italy. Usually made entirely from

pork seasoned with hot peppers.

Calicum Caseinate Is acceptable as a binder in non-specific products.

Carriers Substances that are used to carry flavoring compounds in the

product formulation. Dextrose and/or sugar are commonly used for
spice extracts and resins of spice. The carrier must be declared in
the ingredients statement. Salt, when used as a carrier will always
be declared, regardless of the amount used.

Cartilage A specialized fibrous, elastic connective tissue found in many

locations in the carcass.

Case Hardening An undesirable crust that sometimes forms on the casing of dry
sausage items, it prevents adequate drying of the affected product.

Casing, Artificial Frankfurters packaged in retail containers with the artificial casing
left on must bear a prominent statement (e.g., "remove casing
before eating") contiguous to the product name on the label.

Casing (collagen) Collagen casings are prepared from beef hides specially processed
and formed into casings. For classification purposes, they are
edible casings but are not considered natural casings.

Cecum The blind extension of the intestine that opens into the intestinal
tract at the junction of the small and large intestine.

Certified Pork Pork that has been treated for trichinae by one of the approved
methods.

Certified Trimmings Pork trimmings or pork that has been frozen to ensure destruction of
(Certified Pork) any live trichinae in the pork muscle and certified by FSIS.

Cervelat A cured and smoked sausage, often a dry or semi-dry summer

sausage. Hog stomachs, beef tripe and extenders are permitted,
there is no MPR (moisture protein ratio) requirement.

Charol, Charoil A natural smoke flavoring.

Cheese Smokies A cooked smoked sausage that contains cheese.

Page 43
 Cheesefurter A meat food product resembling a sausage which consists of a
mixture of meat and meat and cheese, The formula shall contain
sufficient cheese to characterize the product so it may be labeled
"Cheesefurter".

Cheesewurst, These names are not considered common, usual, or descriptive

Cheddarwurst names, and must be accompanied by a true descriptive name (e.g.,
Smoked Sausage with Cheese) prominently displayed on the
product label.

Chorizo The product name "Chorizo" can be used for any type of chorizo
sausage that is cooked, dry or semi-dry, cured, or fresh without any
further product name qualification. Chorizo is seasoned with
Spanish pimento and red pepper. Partially defatted pork fatty tissue
is acceptable in chorizo.

Chorizo, Fresh These products may contain vinegar. The vinegar used must have
a strength of no less than 4 grams of acetic acid per 100 cubic
centimeters (200C).

Chorizo in Lard Product must contain at least 55% Chorizo.

Chorizo in Lard, Canned Chorizos that are packed hot, usually in lard, and are not
canned thermally processed must have a moisture protein ratio of 1.8 : 1
and a pH of not more than 5.5. An alternative standard is a water
activity (aW) of 0.92.

Chourico Is Portuguese for sausage, and is an acceptable product name.

Chub An acceptable name to denote a short, usually plump meat food

product, unsliced in casing.

Citric Acid Citric acid and salts of citric acid, when used alone or in
combination with other chemical preservatives have several
functions. It is used to help retain fresh meat color, to prolong shelf
life without preventing deterioration or spoilage, and to increase the
activity of BHA and BHT. When used, it must be declared on the
label by it's common name, and it's purpose must be indicated in
the product name (e.g., "to help preserve flavor").

Cocktail Frankfurters A small frankfurter normally about 2" long and 1/2" in diameter.

Cold Smoke Smoke applied to product where the smokehouse temperature is

low, generally 90º to 120º F. May be used to apply smoke color and
flavor to products not sufficiently darkened or flavored in the original
cooking process. Cold smoked meat and poultry products shall be
processed at or near ambient temperature so that the internal
product temperature does not rise above 41º F. The product and air
temperature shall be monitored at all times.

Cold Spots The area or areas within a smokehouse that are not exposed to as
much heat as the rest of the smokehouse.

Page 44
 Colored Casing Colored casings on meat and poultry products which do not transfer
color to the product, but which change and give a false impression
of the true color of the product, must be labeled to indicate the
presence of the casings.

Comminution The cutting, chopping, or grinding of meat into small particles.

(Comminuting)

Condimental Non-meat ingredients such as spices, seasonings, and flavorings

Substances that are added to sausage product.

Contaminate To render impure or unsuitable by contact or mixture with something

unclean, impure, polluted or soiled.

Country Style (Farm When sausage products are labeled “farm style” or “country style”
Style) sausage they must be prepared with natural spices with the exclusion of
oleoresins, essential oils, or other spice extractives. HVP, MSG and
antioxidants are permitted ingredients.

Cow A mature female bovine, usually refers to an animal that has given
birth to one or more calves.

Cross-contamination Transfer of bacteria or other contaminants to clean product by direct

or indirect means, from product, equipment, utensils, clothing, etc.

Cured Smoked Stix An acceptable name if followed immediately by an ingredients

statement. If the product meets the sausage standard it may be
identified as “Smoked Sausage”.

Derma When the term “Derma” is used in the product, only natural casing
or skin must be used.

Detached Skin Detached skin is not permitted in bologna, frankfurters,

braunschweiger, or similar sausage.

Dry room A room in which the atmospheric relative humidity is maintained at a

very low level in order to facilitate drying of certain sausage
products. The temperature of such rooms is also usually closely
controlled.

Emulsion The semi-fluid mixture of finely chopped meat, water, spices, and
curing agents that is stuffed into casings or molds and further
processed to produce a variety of sausage products. The combining
of solubilized proteins and sometimes water to form a capsule
around fat particles.

Emulsion breakdown The separation of components making up an emulsion, usually

during cooking.

Enterotoxin A toxin that is specific for the cells of the intestinal mucus tissues.

Exotoxin A toxin formed outside the bacterial cell and found in the medium in
which the bacteria is growing.

Page 45
 Extruder A mechanical device that pushes sausage emulsions or mixtures
through a tube into a casing.

Faggots A combination of beef, veal, and pork cured with salt, nitrates and
sugar. Sheep or hog casings are used and sausage is linked in
pairs, each about 6 inches long. Classed as cooked smoked
sausage.

Farm or Country Style The terms farm or country are not permitted on labeled unless the
Fresh Sausage product is produced on a farm on in the country. Most products are
labeled farm–style or country-style, indicating that the product is
produced in a similar manner to farm or country sausages.

Farmer Sausage In usually a semi-dry sausage, but may be made in dry form.
Cervelat Usually made of equal parts of pork and beef, delicately seasoned
without garlic.

Farmer Summer A special type of sausage made of beef, pork salt spices nitrite or
Sausage nitrate, and heavily smoked. It is classed as “Cervelat” and no
extenders are permitted.

Fleischkaese An acceptable name for a cured, cooked sausage in loaf form.

Fat Cap The accumulation of unbound fat on the ends of finished sausages,
a defect usually caused by emulsion breakdown.

“Fresh”, Not Frozen” The word “Fresh” may not be used in conjunction with the product
and Similar Terms name of any cured product (e.g., corned beef, smoked cured turkey,
When Labeling Poultry and prosciutto); any canned, hermetically sealed, shelf stable, dried
Products or chemically preserved product; or any raw poultry, poultry part, or
any edible portion thereof whose internal temperature has been
below 26 degrees Fahrenheit.

Galician Sausage In this type of sausage, cured beef and pork is seasoned and
stuffed into beef rounds, then smoked at a high temperature.
Cooling is done in a blast of air which produces a wrinkled
appearance which is characteristic of Galician sausage.

Gelatin It is not permitted in products like sausage, luncheon meat, and

meat loaves. Gelatin is an acceptable ingredient in souse, jellied
beef loaf, head cheese, and canned whole hams. Requires a
qualifier if gelatin is added.

Genoa or Genoa Salami These are dry sausage products with an MPR not in excess of
2.3:1. It is prepared with all pork or with a mixture of pork and a
small amount of beef. The meat is given a coarse grind and
enclosed in a natural casing. No smoke is used in its preparation.

German Sausages with Whole milk is a permitted ingredient in these types of sausage
Milk products when the ingredients statement is shown immediately
under the name of the product or the milk is shown in a qualifying
statement contiguous to the product name.

Page 46
 Goteborg A Swedish dry sausage made of coarsely chopped beef and
sometimes pork. Mildly seasoned with thyme. It has a somewhat
salty flavor and is heavily smoked, usually in long casings and air
dried.

Green Room A room in which freshly prepared sausages are held, to promote the
growth of lactic acid–forming bacteria before they are moved to a
drying room.

Ground Beef and Pork The product must be treated for possible live trichinae. Mixtures of
fresh ground pork and beef should not be distributed from official
establishments unless the pork is trichinae treated.

Hearts / Heart Meat Hearts and heart meat may not be labeled as “beef”, “pork”, etc. in
the ingredients statement. When used in a product, they must be
identified by species (e.g., “Beef Hearts”).

Heat and Eat Sausages Not the same as Brown and Serve Sausage. When the “heat and
eat” term is used, the product must comply with cooked sausage
regulations.

Holstein or Holsteiner Product is the same as Farm Style Sausage, except that it is stuffed
into wide casings and heavily smoked, usually in long casings, and
then is air-dried. No extenders are permitted.

Hydroflake A method of thinly slicing or flaking frozen boneless meat prior to

grinding.

Inspection Legend The FSIS official mark or statement authorized by regulations to be

placed on a product or container of product to indicate that the
product has been inspected and passed for use as human food.

Italian Sausage Red Pepper is permitted in Italian Sausage under 319.145.

Italian Style An acceptable term for products containing anise or fennel or Italian
type cheese, or at least three of the following (basil, garlic,
marjoram, olive oil or oregano).

Jagwurst The product is the same as yachtwurst, a cooked sausage made

from a fine emulsion with cubes of lean meat rather than fat (as in
mortadella).

Jowl The muscles and fatty tissues of the cheek that are cut away from
the jaw and left attached to the hog carcass.

Jerky Jerky products must have an MPR of 0.75:1 or less. The species or
kind must be in the name. These products may be cured or
uncured, dried, and may be smoked or un-smoked, and air or oven
dried.

Jumbo The term “Jumbo” may be used if the product is of a large size or
quantity. When used on frankfurters no more than 8 franks to the
pound may be present.

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 Junior Meat Snacks This product must conform to the sausage standards going into the
jar before processing. Limited to 3 ½% extenders.

Kalberwurst A product that is similar to Bockwurst with no limit on water or milk.

Kielbasa A sausage made with coarsely ground pork, sometimes with added
beef or mutton, that is cured, cooked, and usually smoked. By-
products are not permitted. Also available as a fresh sausage,
uncured with no more than 3% water.

Kippered Beef A cured dry product similar to beef jerky but not as dry (MPR 2.03:1)

Knackwurst, Oversize frankfurters.

Knockwurst, or
Knoblouch

Kolbase, Hungarian Finely ground cured beef and pork seasoned and stuffed into
Style casings and smoked. Classed as a cooked smoked sausage.

Krakow Acceptable name for a cooked sausage similar to “Berliner”.

Kuemmelwurst An acceptable name for a product that is similar to Carawaywurst, a

cooked sausage of the ring variety, with whole caraway seeds. The
usual ingredients are beef, pork salt, caraway, flavorings, and cure.

Labeling of Specific Modified breakfast sausage, cooked sausage, and fermented

Sausage Products sausage products are substitute version of standardized traditional
Identified by a Nutrient products that have been formulated to reduce fat content to qualify
Content Claim for nutrient content claims, but do not comply with accepted
standards for ingredients for each sausage type. These products
must follow specific guidelines for product integrity and ingredients.

Labeling of Meat and Stick items such as beef jerky, pepperoni sticks and beef sticks
Poultry Stick Items have specific labeling requirements. Individual items sold in fully
labeled bulk containers are not required to be labeled. Individual
items sold in un-labeled bulk containers must be individually
labeled. Individual items sold in retail boxes or cartons are not
required to have individual labels.

Labeling of Modified Fresh sausages that contain non-meat or poultry “fat replacing
Substitute Versions of ingredients” must follow nutrition labeling regulations that include
Fresh Sausage specifying contents and conforming to applicable limits on
ingredients.

Lactobacillus A genus of bacteria that form lactic acid as they grow. Cultures of
these bacteria are added to certain meat and dairy foods to produce
a characteristic flavor and odor.

Landjaeger Cervelat A semi-dry sausage originating in Switzerland about the size of a

large frankfurter but pressed flat, smoked and dried, giving it a black
appearance.

Page 48
 Lola and Lolita A dry sausage product of Italian origin, consisting of mildly
seasoned pork and containing garlic. Lolita comes in 14 oz. Links,
while Lola comes in 2 ½ lb. links.

Longaniza Longaniza is a fresh sausage product that can include paprika.

Longaniza and Puerto Longaniza is an acceptable name for Puerto Rican sausage made
Rican Longaniza from pork, which may contain beef but does not contain annatto.
Added fat is not permitted.

Loukanika An acceptable name for cooked fresh Greek sausage, usually made
with lamb and pork, and containing oranges, allspice, whole pepper
and salt.

Lyons Sausage A dry sausage made exclusively of pork with spices and garlic
which is stuffed into large casings, cured and air-dried.

Meat Meat is defined by USDA as the part of muscle of any cattle, sheep,
swine, goats, or equine animals that is skeletal or that is found in
the tongue, diaphragm, heart, or esophagus, with or without an
accompanying layer of fat. This also can include accompanying
portions of the bone, skin, sinew, nerve, and blood vessels that are
not separated from the muscle tissue during the dressing
procedure, but does not include the muscle found in the lips,
snouts, or ears [refer FSIS Regulations, 9 CFR 301.2(rr)].

Meat by-products Meat by-products include any part derived from cattle, sheep,
swine, goats, or equine animals, other than the parts defined above
as meat, that can be used as human food. These are also referred
to as “Variety Meats”. Examples of by-products are snouts, skins,
spleens, hearts, livers, and fat.

Meat Block The amount of meat and or meat byproducts used to make a
specific sausage batch.

Mettwurst An uncooked cured smoked sausage in which by-products and

extenders are not permitted. Beef heart meat is acceptable. Water
is limited to 3%, and fat content shall not exceed 50%.

Mettwurst, Cooked Mettwurst which is cooked must be labeled Cooked Mettwurst, and
may contain up to 10% water based on the finished product weight.

Metz Sausage Cured lean beef and pork and bacon are finely chopped, seasoned,
and stuffed into beef middles. It is air dried for 5 days, then given a
cool smoke. It is classified as a semi-dry sausage.

Mexican Style Acceptable name for products that contain at least four of the
following ingredients: jalapeno peppers, chili peppers, green chilies,
cumin, cayenne peppers, red or green peppers, chili powder,
jalapeno powder, Monterey Jack cheese, or cheddar cheese.

Middles Casings derived from the large intestines of slaughtered animals.

Page 49
Moisture Protein Ratio Used to describe the moisture level in a product. Non-refrigerated
(MPR) or shelf stable sausages, must have a MPR of 3.1:1 or less, and a
pH of 5.0 or less, unless commercially sterilized.

Mortadella Normally a cooked sausage but can be dry or semi-dry. It is similar

to salami and cervelat except that is has large chunks of pork fat.
Red sweet peppers up to 4% and pistachio nuts up to 1% are
acceptable as long as they are shown in the true product name.

Mortadella – Poultry Poultry Mortadella is a dry, semi-dry, or cooked sausage formulated

with poultry. This product may contain large chunks of pork fat and
may contain extenders and/or binders.

Mortadella Without Fat Product must meet the standard for Mortadella and the label
Cubes or Chunks qualified to indicate the absence of fat cubes or pork chunks, e.g.,
“Mortadella without fat cubes”.

Myosin A major protein in muscle tissue.

Natural Smoked Color This statement on a label indicates on the product is smoked and
not artificially colored. Note that this label allows the use of artificial
smoke.

Negative Labeling Negative labeling is allowed if it is unclear from the product name
that the ingredient is not present. For example, the use of the term
“No Beef” on the label for Turkey Pastrami would further clarify that
the product does not contain beef.

Nonspecific loaf A loaf produced with no restrictions on water, cereal, Non-Fat-Dry-

Milk, starch, corn syrup, etc. There are limitations of nitrite, nitrate,
and other chemical additives. The name of such product may not
refer to meat. Common names are pickle and pimiento loaf, olive
loaf, Dutch loaf, etc.

Non-standardized Cooked sausage products that contain poultry ingredients at more

Cooked Sausage than 15% of the total ingredients (excluding water) must have
Products Containing product names that indicate the species of livestock and the
Both Livestock and presence of poultry (e.g., “Beef and Turkey Frankfurter”).
Poultry Ingredients

Off-condition Spoiled.

Paprika Generally, paprika and/or oleoresin or paprika are not permitted in

or on fresh red meat products, fresh ground poultry, or fresh poultry
sausage, except where such ingredients are expected and accepted
(e.g., Italian sausage).

Partially Defatted (Beef These are by-products produced from fatty trimmings containing
or Pork) Fatty Tissue less than 12% lean meat. These ingredients may be used in meat
products in which by-products are acceptable.

Pathogenic Capable of producing disease.

Page 50
 Pepperoni A dry sausage prepared from Pork or Pork and Beef. Pepperoni
must be treated from destruction of possible live trichinae and have
a MPR of 1.6:1 or less. Antioxidants are permitted.

Pepperoni, Cooked Not an acceptable product name.

Pepperoni, with Poultry Poultry may be added to Pepperoni if properly labeled. If the meat
block contains 20% or less poultry, the product is labeled
“Pepperoni with Turkey Added”. When poultry is over 20% of the
meat and poultry block, it is labeled Pork and Turkey Pepperoni".
When poultry is over 50% of the meat and poultry block, it is labeled
Turkey and Pork Pepperoni”.

Permeable Capable of penetration from the inside and outside.

pH The negative logarithm of the effective hydrogen ion concentration
or hydrogen ion activity in gram equivalents per liter; used in
expressing both acidity and alkalinity on a scale with values from 0
to 14, with 7 representing neutrality, numbers less than 7 increasing
acidity, and numbers greater than 7 increasing alkalinity.

Pickled Products, Dry Products that are pickled or dry packed should be qualified with the
Packed name of the pickle as part of the product name (e.g., Knockwurst
Pickled”). The weight of the package shall be the weight of the
product less the weight of the pickle that will weep out of the
product.

Pimiento Sausage Pimientos are permitted when declared in the product name as
“Pimiento Sausage”.

Pinkelwurst A cooked product that is stuffed into a casing with a diameter from 1
½ to 2 inches and a length of about 10 to 12 inches. It is formulated
with beef, pork, fat, onions, oat groats, water, and sufficient spice to
satisfy seasoning requirements. The product is cooked to an
internal temperature of more than 1520F.

Polish Sausage A sausage that is cured, cooked, and usually smoked. Pork and
pork by-products shall comprise at least 50% of the meat and meat
by-products ingredients. Products with beef as the predominant
ingredient are called “beef and Pork Polish Sausage”. Green
peppers are permitted up to 4% in total formulation. A uncured
(fresh ) uncooked variety also with no more than 3% water also
exists.

Polynesian Style A sausage product that must contain fruit juices, a sweetening
Sausage agent, and soy sauce.

Pork and Bacon Up to 50% bacon is permitted in this type of sausage as long as
Sausage bacon is brought back to green weight before use, the product is
trichinae treated, and the product name is “Pork and Bacon
Sausage”. The standard for “Pork Sausage and/with Bacon” is
10% to 20% bacon, and for “Pork and Bacon Sausage” is more than
20% but not more than 50% bacon.

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 Pork Sausage A product identified as pork sausage does not include the use of
pork cheeks. When such an item is offered as “Whole Hog”,
tongues, hearts, and cheeks may be used in the natural proportion
found in the hog carcass. “Fresh” shall be used in the name when
the product is not cured, cooked and/or smoked.

Pork Skins Pork Skins are not permitted in salami, bologna, frankfurters, vienna
sausage, and braunschweiger. When packaged in vinegar pickle,
they are not permitted to be artificially colored. When pork skin is
used to manufacture meat or poultry products, it must be specifically
listed in the ingredients statement (e.g., Pork Skins, Unskinned Pork
Jowls, Unskinned Pork Fat, etc.).

Potato Sausage or Ring A cooked or uncooked meat food product that: is at least 65% meat
and no by-products, water limited to 3% at formulation, No
extenders or binders permitted, and contains at least 18% potatoes.

Potentially Hazardous Potentially Hazardous Foods (PHF), according to the FDA Food
Foods (PHF) Code, refers to a food that requires temperature control because it
is in a form capable of supporting:
§ The rapid and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic
microorganisms;
§ The growth and toxin production of Clostridium botulinum; or in
raw shell eggs, the growth of Salmonella Enteritidis.

Potentially hazardous foods include animal foods that are raw or

heat-treated, except for:
§ foods with a water activity (aw ) value of 0.85 or less;
§ foods with a pH level of 4.6 or below;
§ foods in an unopened hermetically sealed container, that is
commercially processed to achieve and maintain commercial
sterility under conditions of non-refrigerated storage and
distribution;
§ a food for which laboratory evidence demonstrates that the rapid
and progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic
microorganisms can not occur; or
§ a food that does not support the growth of microorganisms even
though the food may contain an infectious or toxigenic
microorganism or chemical or physical contaminant at a level
sufficient to cause illness.

Ready to Eat A product that has been cooked and has characteristics of a fully
cooked material. Will not receive further cooking by consumer.

Relative Humidity The amount of water vapor in the air expressed as a percentage of
the maximum amount of water the air could hold at a given
temperature.

Rework Fully or partially processed product, rerouted for reasons other than
unwholesomeness or adulteration.

Rounds Casings derived from the small intestines of slaughtered animals.

Page 52
 Shank The distal end of the fore and hind legs of a dressed carcass.

Shelf Stable Products that have been sufficiently treated to destroy all viable
forms of pathogenic organisms and nonpathogenic organisms
capable of reproducing in the product under normal non-refrigerated
conditions of storage and distribution.

Silent Cutter The commercial name for a machine that mixes and grinds sausage
ingredients. Ingredients are placed into a revolving tub that carries
the ingredients into rapidly rotating knife blades that chop and
emulsify the material.

Standard of Identity The minimum requirements (cut, ingredients, processing, etc.) for a
meat food product to be identified or labeled with an established or
acceptable name.

Swedish Style A cooked or uncooked meat food product that: is at least 45% meat
and no by-products, water limited to 3% at formulation, extenders
or binders up to 3.5% permitted except that 2% of isolated soy
protein shall be deemed to be equivalent of 3.5% of any of the other
binders or extenders, and contains at least 18% potatoes.

Poultry Sausage Sausage products made from poultry must be labeled to indicate
kind (e.g., “Chicken Sausage”, “Turkey Bologna”, etc.). Products
containing more than one kind of poultry or red meat must declare
the added ingredients in the product name (e.g., “Chicken Bologna,
Beef Added”, “Turkey Franks, Chicken Hearts Added”). The basic
sausage standards also apply to poultry, except for added water
and ice.

Romanian Brand An uncooked smoked sausage made with cured lean pork. Product
Sausage requires trichinae treatment.

Salami A dry sausage that requires an MPR of 1.9:1 or less. Extenders

and binders are permitted. It may be cooked to shorten drying
periods.

Salami, Beef A cooked, smoked sausage, usually mildly flavored, in a large

casing, containing coarsely ground beef. Cereals and extenders
are permitted. May contain fat. Product does not have to be
labeled “cooked”.

Salami, Cooked The product “Salami” must be labeled to include the word “Cooked”
regardless of the type and size of its packaging, unless it is one of
the following:
- A salami with a MPR of no more than 1.9:1.
- Genoa Salami with a MPR of no more than 2.3:1
- Sicilian Salami with a MPR for no more than 2.3:1
- Labeled as Kosher Salami, Kosher Beef Salami, Beef Salami,
Beer Salami, or Salami for Beer.

Salami, Cotto A mildly flavored, cooked, cured sausage in a large casing, usually

Page 53
 containing coarsely ground beef and pork. The product contains
whole or visible pieces of peppercorns. It is cooked in dry heat.

Salami, German Brand A dry sausage with an MPR of 1.9:1. It is made with beef and pork
Made in U.S.A. and seasoned with garlic. Less highly flavored but usually more
heavily smoked than Italian Salami. It is tied with loops of twine that
gives it a scalloped appearance.

Salami, Italian This dry salami is usually prepared in the San Francisco area and is
easily distinguished by it’s covering of a white mold. It consists of
about 80% finely chopped pork, to which a small amount of pork fat
may be added. Nonfat dry milk can compromise 3½ % of the
finished product. The remainder consists of chopped beef,
seasoning, salt, and curing agent. The product should have an
MPR of not in excess of 1.9:1 to ensure the fat content and dryness
properties associated with a “Dry salami”.

Salami, Sicilian Brand An acceptable name for an uncooked dry sausage. This is a type of
Made in U.S.A “Genoa Salami” except it is uncooked and contains no garlic.
Antioxidants are permitted. Trichinae treatment is required.

Salchichon A Spanish term meaning “Large Sausage”. This term may only be
used for large casing sausage products that are 3 inches in
diameter or more. Label must show true product name.

Salcina (Portuguese Sausage usually contains pork, green onions, parsley, vinegar, salt,
Brand – Made in U.S.A.) sugar, spices, and garlic.

Salpicao A smoked sausage. The label must show a true product name
(e.g., Smoked Sausage”). No more than 3% water can be added at
formulation.

Salsiccia A fresh pork sausage, highly spiced, in which paprika is permitted.

It is a rope style sausage made of finely cut pork trimmings.

Sarno A dry smoked sausage that is air-dried. The label must show a true
product name (e.g., “Smoked Sausage”). Coarsely chopped beef,
pork, and garlic are not permitted.

Sausage Sausage refers to a product prepared with ground or finely

comminuted meat and meat by-products, usually seasoned with
spices, seasoning and flavorings, and containing water and fat in
varying amounts. Foreign names for sausage are wurst (German),
kielbasa (Polish), kobacica (Croatian), salchia (Spanish), korv
(Swedish), loukaniko (Greek), naknik (Jewish), salsiccia (Italian),
ispin (Irish), saucisse (French), or sucik (Turkish).

Sausage Made of fresh uncured meat, generally cuts of fresh pork and
Classifications – Fresh sometimes beef. (See this manual for more on this classification of
Sausage sausage)

Sausage Has the same characteristics of Fresh Sausage, except that it is

Classifications – smoked, producing a different flavor and color.

Page 54
 Uncooked Smoked
Sausage

Sausage These products are chopped or ground, seasoned, cooked and/or

Classifications – smoked. (See this manual for more on this classification of
Cooked Sausage sausage).
and/or Smoked
Sausage

Sausage Dry sausages may or may not be characterized by a bacterial

Classifications – Dry or fermentation, and undergoes a carefully controlled air drying
Semi-Dry Sausage process to preserve the product. (See this manual for more on this
classification of sausage).

Sausage Containing Sausages may contain cheese under the following conditions: if
Cheese there is a standard for that particular sausage, it must be met as
though it contained no cheese; The cheese must characterize the
product and appear as part of the product name (for example,
“Italian Sausage with Cheese”).

Sausage Containing Red meat sausages may contain raw and/or cooked poultry or
Poultry poultry meat. Poultry by-products are permitted when a sausage
standard permits by-products. Mechanically deboned poultry must
have kidneys and sex glands removed. Labeling standards must be
followed.

Sausage – Shelf Stable Dry sausages must have an MPR of 1.9:1 or less, unless an MPR is
cited under Moisture Protein Ratio. Non-refrigerated, semi-dry,
shelf stable sausage must have an MPR of 3.1:1 or less, and a pH
of 5.0 or less, unless commercially sterilized, or unless an MPR is
stated under Moisture Protein Ratio.
Alternately, non-refrigerated, semi-dry, shelf stable sausages are
those that:
- are fermented to a pH of 4.5 or lower (or pH may be as high as
4.6 if combined with product water activity no higher than 0.91),
- are in an intact form, or, if sliced, are vacuum packed,
- have internal brine concentration no less than 5%,
- are cured with nitrite or nitrate, and
- are smoked with wood.

Sausage, Raw Skeletal The term “raw skeletal muscle meat" includes beef cheek meat,
Muscle Meat Used in diaphragm meat, uncooked ham trimmings, and bacon or bacon
Emulsified Product ends and pieces. The bacon ingredient is limited to not more than
(Bologna, Franks, etc.) 10% of the meat, meat and meat by-products, or meat, meat by-
products and poultry products in a sausage formula. See FSIS
Regulation §318.180.

Sausage, Rework This term refers to a fully or partially processed product (excluding
uncooked trimmings) re-routed for reasons other than
unwholesomeness or adulteration and intended for inclusion in
cooked sausage, loaves, or similar products.

Page 55
 Sausage, Smoked Smoked product will be identified as such unless the specific
product name conveys a smoked product or it is obvious from the
packaging.

Sausage Type Products Sausage type products that contain unexpected ingredients that
with Fruit and significantly alter the character of the product may be descriptively
Vegetables labeled with the characterizing ingredient (e.g., Cherry Pecan
Sausage, Wild Rice Sausage, etc.). The sausage portion must
meet the applicable standards based on the product weight prior to
adding the unexpected ingredient.

Sausage (Species) (Species) sausages must comply with the applicable standards
before being processed if the product name is to include the
species. For example cooked, cured sausages may be labeled
“cooked cured sausage” or “cooked cured sausage made with
(species)”.

Saveloy A cooked smoked sausage. It is an English sausage similar to

bologna made of beef and pork. The label must show a true
product name.

Schickenwurst This product is made of two parts, one is an emulsion prepared from
pork and beef cuts, the other consists of chunks of ham measuring
from 2 to3 inches in size. The parts are mixed, stuffed into large
casings and smoked while being cooked. The final product appears
as a luncheon sausage with large pieces of red ham meat held
together by a light pink binder. The ham portion must comprise at
least 50% of the product, and the product has a distinctive smoked
flavor.

Serkelki, Serdelowa A cooked smoked sausage of Polish origin, made from pork. The
label must show a true product name (e.g., Smoked Sausage).

Smoke Although not required or customary, smoke can also appear in the
ingredients statements of domestically produced products which are
physically smoked. If included in the ingredients statement, smoke
should appear last.

Smoke Flavoring The use of smoke flavoring (natural or artificial) in a component of a

meat or poultry food product does not require that the product name
be qualified to indicate the presence of the smoke flavoring.
However, the smoke flavoring must be declared on the ingredients
statement.

Smoked Products The guidelines for approving labels for products prepared with
natural smoke and/or smoke flavoring are as follows:
- Products that have been exposed to smoke generated from
burning hardwoods may be labeled as “Smoked”, or with the
term “Naturally Smoked" to indicate that the traditional smoking
process was used.
- Products that have been exposed to natural liquid smoke flavor
that has been transformed into a true gaseous state by
application of heat, or transformed into vapor by mechanical

Page 56
 means, may be labeled “Smoked”.
- Products that have been exposed to natural liquid smoke flavor
via spraying, dipping, liquid flooding, or similar processes prior
to or during heat processing, may be labeled “Smoked”.
- Products that have been exposed to natural or artificial smoke
flavor via direct application to the product surface or via injection
must be labeled to identify the smoke flavor as part of the
product name (e.g., “Pork Sausage, Natural Smoke Flavor
Added”.)

Smoked Sausage, An uncured or cooked smoked sausage with natural spices and
Country Style sugar. It is made with beef and pork and requires trichinae
treatment.

Smoked Thuringer A cooked smoked sausage made with pork only.

Links

Smoky Snax A smoked sausage. The label must show a true product name
(“Smoked Sausage” or “Dry Sausage”).

Southern Hots A cooked smoked sausage made in the South. Southern Hots is a
coined name that must be accompanied by a true product name.

Soy Protein Products Whenever soy products are used in a meat or poultry product, they
must be called by their common or usual name (e.g., soy flour, soy
protein isolate, etc.). If these products are textured, then “textured”
should also be included in the name.

Spices The term spices refers to genuine natural spices, whole or ground.
Spices may be listed as “Flavorings”.

Summer Sausage A semi dry or cooked sausage that can contain meat by-products
and extenders.

Teawurst or Teewurst A cooked or uncooked product processed without curing and cold
smoked 2 to 5 days. It is ground or coarsely chopped as is
characterized by a soft spreadable texture. Typical meat
ingredients include pork, beef, pork bellies and bacon.

Texas Hots A coined name for a sausage made in Texas. The label must show
a true product name.

Thuringer A sausage usually classified as semi-dry, with an MPR of 3.7:1. It is

smoked and usually complies with the following factors:
- Heat meat (beef or pork) may comprise up to 50% of the meat
ingredients.
- Tongue meat (beef or pork) may comprise up to 10% of the
meat ingredients.
- Cheek meat (beef or pork) may comprise up to 50% of the meat
ingredients.
- No binders or extenders are allowed.
- Cooked Thuringer can contain up to 10% added water.
- Acceptable names for uncooked thuringer include “Beef

Page 57
 Summer Sausage”, “Thuringer Cervelat”, and “Summer
Sausage - Thuringer Cervelat

Touristen wurst A semi-dry type sausage with an MPR of 3.7:1.

Trichinae Treatment All sausage and meet food products containing pork that are neither
cooked or understood by the public as needing to be cooked prior to
serving must be treated by one of the prescribed methods. See
FSIS Regulations §318.10.

Tripe First and second stomach compartments of ruminant animals,

usually cattle, cleaned and with the mucosal lining removed.

Turkey Braunschweiger The product name must be shown on the label as “Turkey Liver
Sausage”. No by-products other than liver are permitted in the
product.

Ukrainian Sausage A dry sausage made from lean pork and/or veal chunks, containing
large amounts of garlic that dominates the flavor. It is cooked and
smoked at high temperatures (around 180 – 1850F) for 4-5 hours
then air-dried. The water activity or the finished product shall not
exceed 0.92 or an MPR of 2.0:1 or less.

Uncured (Labeling Products in which nitrites or nitrates are required or expected, may
Requirements Labeled be prepared without such cures when the product name is
As) immediately preceded by the term “Uncured” as part of the product
name in the same size and style of lettering. The "uncured” product
must comply with the standard performance characteristics for the
cured product. See FSIS Regulation §319.2.

Vacuum Mixer A mechanical device used to mix sausage emulsions under vacuum
in order to reduce the occurrence of air pockets in the finished
product.

Variety Meats in Franks Cooked sausages with variety meats must contain not less than
15% red skeletal meat based in the total meat block.

Weisswurst An acceptable name for fresh sausage. It is usually made of pork or

veal and must be thoroughly cooked before eating.

Whole Hog Sausage Must contain all primal parts of a hog, such as hams and loins.
Hearts and tongues, in natural proportions, are permitted
ingredients when declared in the ingredients statement. Other meat
by-products are not permitted. See FSIS Regulations §319.144.

Wholesomeness Not adulterated. All meat and meat by-products used in sausage
formulations must be clean, wholesome and properly labeled. The
manufacturing facility must inspect all incoming meat to ensure that
is not contaminated. Even previously inspected meat must be re-
inspected to ensure that it has not become contaminated during
transit.

Page 58
Appendices
This manual contains the following appendices:

§ Appendix A: Process Flow Diagrams

§ Appendix B: Applicable FSIS Regulations
§ Appendix C: FSIS Listeria Guidelines for Industry, May, 1999
§ Appendix D: Guidance for Minimizing Impact Associated with a Food Safety Hazard
in Raw Ground Meat and Other FSIS Regulated Products”, December, 1998

Page 59
Page 60
 Appendix: A
Process Flow Diagram

Process Category: Raw Product, Ground

Product: Fresh Pork Sausage
___________________________________________________________________

Receiving Receiving
Packaging Non-Meat Ingredients
Materials

Storage
Non-Meat Ingredients
Receiving Meat

Assemble / Pre-Weigh
Non-Meat Ingredients Storage Meat (Cold)

Assemble / Weigh Meat

Grind / Blend

Storage Rework
Packaging Sausage Stuffer
Materials

Packaging / Labeling

Finished Product Storage (Cold)

Retail Sale to Consumer

Page 61
 Process Flow Diagram

Process Category: Fully Cooked, Not Shelf Stable

Product: Frankfurters and Bologna
_________________________________________________________

Receiving Receiving
Casings/ Raw Meat Receiving Receiving
Packaging Restricted Non- Unrestricted
Materials Meat Food Non-Meat Food
Ingredients Ingredients

Storage
(Cold – Frozen/Refrigerated)
Raw Meat Storage Storing
Restricted Non- Unrestricted
Meat Food Non-Meat Food
Ingredients Ingredients
Tempering
Frozen Meat

Weighing Weighing
Restricted Non- Unrestricted
Preparation of Meat Food Non-Meat Food
Raw Meat Ingredients Ingredients

Combine Ingredients /
Processing (List All)

Rework Stuffing

Cooking/Smoking

Chilling

Storage
Casings/ Portioning (if done)
Packaging
Materials

Packaging / Labeling

Finished Product Storage (Cold)

Retail Sale to Consumer

Page 62
 Process Flow Diagram

Process Category: Not Heat Treated, Shelf Stable

Product: Pepperoni and Salami
___________________________________________________________

Receiving Receiving
Packaging Raw Meat Receiving Receiving
Materials Restricted Non- Unrestricted
Meat Food Non-Meat Food
Ingredients Ingredients

Storage
(Cold – Frozen/Refrigerated)
Raw Meat
Storage Storing
Restricted Non- Unrestricted
Meat Food Non-Meat Food
Ingredients Ingredients
Tempering
Frozen Meat

Weighing Weighing
Restricted Non- Unrestricted
Weighing Meat Food Non-Meat Food
Raw Meat Ingredients Ingredients

Combine Ingredients /
Processing (List All)
Preparing
Starter
Cultures /
Casings
Rework Fermenting
Storage
Starter
Cultures /
Drying Casings

Receiving
Slicing / Peeling Starter
Cultures /
Casings
Storage
Packaging Packaging / Labeling
Materials

Packaging / Labeling

Finished Product Storage

Retail Sale to Consumer

Page 63
 Process Flow Diagram

Process Category: Heat Treated, Shelf Stable

Product: Snack Sticks, Jerky
___________________________________________________________

Receiving Receiving
Packaging Raw Meat / Poultry Receiving Restricted
Receiving
Materials Non-Meat Non-
Unrestricted Non-
Poultry Food
Meat Non-Poultry
Ingredients
Food Ingredients

Storage
(Cold – Frozen/Refrigerated)
Raw Meat / Poultry
Storage Restricted Storing
Non-Meat Non- Unrestricted Non-
Poultry Food Meat Non-Poultry
Ingredients Food Ingredients
Tempering
Frozen Meat / Poultry

Weighing Restricted Weighing

Non-Meat Non- Unrestricted Non-
Preparation of Poultry Food Meat Non-Poultry
Raw Meat / Poultry Ingredients Food Ingredients

Combine Ingredients /
Processing (List All)

Fermenting (Some Snack

Racking/Hanging
Sticks Only)
Rework
Heat Treatment

Drying

Cooling / Equilibration
Storage
Packaging
Materials
Packaging / Labeling

Finished Product Storage

Retail Sale to Consumer

Page 64
Appendix: B Applicable FSIS Regulations
Selected text of the FSIS Regulations that pertain to this training program;
*** marks missing material; please see
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-retrieve.html#page1 for complete text.

Code of Federal Regulations

TITLE 9--ANIMALS AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS
CHAPTER III--FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

PART 318--ENTRY INTO OFFICIAL ESTABLISHMENTS; REINSPECTION AND PREPARATION OF

PRODUCTS-

Sec. 318.6 Requirements concerning ingredients and other articles used in

preparation of products.

(a) All ingredients and other articles used in the preparation of any
product shall be clean, sound, healthful, wholesome, and otherwise such as
will not result in the product being adulterated. Official establishments
shall furnish inspectors accurate information on all procedures involved in
product preparation including product composition and any changes in such
procedures essential for inspectional control of the product.
(b)(1) The only animal casings that may be used as containers of product
are those from cattle, sheep, swine, or goats.
(2) Casings for products shall be carefully inspected by Program
employees. Only those casings which have been carefully washed and thoroughly
flushed with clean water immediately before stuffing and are suitable for
containers, are clean, and are passed on such inspection shall be used,
except that preflushed animal casings packed in salt or salt and glycerine
solution or other approved medium may be used without additional flushing
provided they are found to be clean and otherwise acceptable and are
thoroughly rinsed before use.
(3) Hog and sheep casings intended for use as containers of product may
be treated by soaking in or applying thereto sound, fresh pineapple juice or
papain or bromelin or pancreatic extract to permit the enzymes contained in
these substances to act on the casings to make them less resistant. The
casings shall be handled in a clean and sanitary manner throughout and the
treatment shall be followed by washing and flushing the casings with water
sufficiently to effectively remove the substance used and terminate the
enzymatic action.

***

Sec. 318.10 Prescribed treatment of pork and products containing pork to

destroy trichinae.

(a)(1) All forms of fresh pork, including fresh unsmoked sausage

containing pork muscle tissue, and pork such as bacon and jowls, other than
those covered by paragraph (b) of this section, are classed as products that
are customarily well cooked in the home or elsewhere before being served to
the consumer. Therefore, the treatment of such products for the destruction
of trichinae is not required.
(2) Pork from carcasses or carcass parts that have been found free of
trichinae as described under paragraph (e) or (f) of this section is not
required to be treated for the destruction of trichinae.
(b) Products named in this paragraph, and products of the character
thereof, containing pork muscle tissue (not including pork hearts, pork
stomachs, and pork livers), or the pork muscle tissue which forms an
ingredient of such products, shall be effectively heated, refrigerated, or

Page 65
cured to destroy any possible live trichinae, as prescribed in this section
at the official establishment where such products are prepared: Bologna,
frankfurter, vienna, and other cooked sausage; smoked sausage; knoblauch
sausage; mortadella; all forms of summer or dried sausage, including
mettwurst; flavored pork sausages such as those containing wine or similar
flavoring materials; cured pork sausage; sausage containing cured and/or
smoked pork; cooked loaves; roasted, baked, boiled, or cooked hams, pork
shoulders, or pork shoulder picnics; Italian-style hams; Westphalia-style
hams; smoked boneless pork shoulder butts; cured meat rolls; capocollo
(capicola, capacola); coppa; fresh or cured boneless pork shoulder butts,
hams, loins, shoulders, shoulder picnics, and similar pork cuts, in casings
or other containers in which ready-to-eat delicatessen articles are
customarily enclosed (excepting Scotch-style hams); breaded pork products;
cured boneless pork loins; boneless back bacon; bacon used for wrapping
around patties, steaks and similar products; and smoked pork cuts such as
hams, shoulders, loins, and pork shoulder picnics (excepting smoked hams, and
smoked pork shoulder picnics which are specially prepared for distribution in
tropical climates or smoked hams delivered to the Armed Services); ground
meat mixtures containing pork and beef, veal, lamb, mutton, or goat meat and
other product consisting of mixtures of pork and other ingredients, which the
Administrator determines at the time the labeling for the product is
submitted for approval in accordance with part 317 of the regulations in this
subchapter or upon subsequent reevaluation of the product, would be prepared
in such a manner that the product might be eaten rare or without thorough
cooking because of the appearance of the finished product or otherwise. Cured
boneless pork loins shall be subjected to prescribed treatment for
destruction of trichinae prior to being shipped from the establishment where
cured.
(c) The treatment shall consist of heating, refrigerating, or curing, as
follows:

(1) Heating. (i) All parts of the pork muscle tissue shall be heated
according to one of the time and temperature combinations in the following
table:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Minimum internal temperature
--------------------------------------------------
Degrees Minimum time
Degrees fahrenheit centigrade
-------------------------------------------------------------------
120............................. 49.0 21 hours.
122............................. 50.0 9.5 hours.
124............................. 51.1 4.5 hours.
126............................. 52.2 2 hours.
128............................. 53.4 1 hour.
130............................. 54.5 30 minutes.
132............................. 55.6 15 minutes.
134............................. 56.7 6 minutes.
136............................. 57.8 3 minutes.
138............................. 58.9 2 minutes.
140............................. 60.0 1 minute.
142............................. 61.1 1 minute.
144............................. 62.2 Instant.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

(ii) Time and temperature shall be monitored by a calibrated recording

instrument that meets the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section,
except for paragraph (c)(1)(iv).
(iii) The time to raise product temperature from 60 deg. F. to 120 deg.
F shall not exceed 2 hours unless the product is cured or fermented.
(iv) Time, in combination with temperatures of 138 deg. F to 143 deg. F,
need not be monitored if the product's minimum thickness exceeds 2 inches

Page 66
(5.1 cm) and refrigeration of the product does not begin within 5 minutes of
attaining 138 deg. F (58.9 deg. C).
(v) The establishment shall use procedures which insure the proper
heating of all parts of the product. It is important that each piece of
sausage, each ham, and other product treated by heating in water be kept
entirely submerged throughout the heating period; and that the largest pieces
in a lot, the innermost links of bunched sausage or other massed articles,
and pieces placed in the coolest part of a heating cabinet or compartment or
vat be included in the temperature tests.

(2) Refrigerating. At any stage of preparation and after preparatory

chilling to a temperature of not above 40 deg.F. or preparatory freezing,
all parts of the muscle tissue of pork or product containing such tissue
shall be subjected continuously to a temperature not higher than one of those
specified in table 1, the duration of such refrigeration at the specified
temperature being dependent on the thickness of the meat or inside dimensions
of the container.
Table 1--Required Period of Freezing at Temperature Indicated
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Temperature deg.F. Group 1 (Days) Group 2 (Days)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
5 20 30
-10 10 20
-20 6 12
------------------------------------------------------------------------

(i) Group 1 comprises product in separate pieces not exceeding 6 inches

in thickness, or arranged on separate racks with the layers not exceeding 6
inches in depth, or stored in crates or boxes not exceeding 6 inches in
depth, or stored as solidly frozen blocks not exceeding 6 inches in
thickness.
(ii) Group 2 comprises product in pieces, layers, or within containers,
the thickness of which exceeds 6 inches but not 27 inches, and product in
containers including tierces, barrels, kegs, and cartons having a thickness
not exceeding 27 inches.
(iii) The product undergoing such refrigeration or the containers thereof
shall be so spaced while in the freezer as will insure a free circulation of
air between the pieces of meat, layers, blocks, boxes, barrels, and tierces
in order that the temperature of the meat throughout will be promptly reduced
to not higher than 5 deg.F., -10 deg.F., or -20 deg.F., as the case may be.
(iv) In lieu of the methods prescribed in Table 1, the treatment may
consist of commercial freeze drying or controlled freezing, at the center of
the meat pieces, in accordance with the times and temperatures specified in
Table 2.
Table 2--Alternate Periods of Freezing at Temperatures Indicated
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maximum internal temperature
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Degrees Minimum Time
Degrees Fahrenheit centigrade
------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.................................. -17.8 106 hours.
-5................................... -20.6 82 hours.
-10.................................. -23.3 63 hours.
-15.................................. -26.1 48 hours.
-20.................................. -28.9 35 hours.
-25.................................. -31.7 22 hours.
-30.................................. -34.5 8 hours.
-35.................................. -37.2 1/2 hour.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

(v) During the period of refrigeration the product shall be kept separate
from other products and in the custody of the Program in rooms or

Page 67
compartments equipped and made secure with an official Program lock or seal.
The rooms or compartments containing product undergoing freezing shall be
equipped with accurate thermometers placed at or above the highest level at
which the product undergoing treatment is stored and away from refrigerating
coils. After completion of the prescribed freezing of pork to be used in the
preparation of product covered by paragraph (b) of this section the pork
shall be kept under close supervision of an inspector until it is prepared in
finished form as one of the products enumerated in paragraph (b) of this
section or until it is transferred under Program control to another official
establishment for preparation in such finished form.
(vi) Pork which has been refrigerated as specified in this subparagraph
may be transferred in sealed railroad cars, sealed motortrucks, sealed
trailers, or sealed closed containers to another official establishment at
the same or another location, for use in the preparation of product covered
by paragraph (b) of this section. Such vehicles and containers shall be
sealed and transported between official establishments in accordance with
Sec. 325.7 of this subchapter.

(3) Curing--(i) Sausage. The sausage may be stuffed in animal casings,

hydrocellulose casings, or cloth bags. During any stage of treating the
sausage for the destruction of live trichinae, except as provided in Method
5, these coverings shall not be coated with paraffin or like substance, nor
shall any sausage be washed during any prescribed period of drying. In the
preparation of sausage, one of the following methods may be used:

Method No. 1. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding three-fourths of
an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than 3 1/3 pounds of salt to each
hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat.
After being stuffed, sausage having a diameter not exceeding 3 1/2 inches, measured at the time
of stuffing, shall be held in a drying room not less than 20 days at a temperature not lower than
45 deg.F., except that in sausage of the variety known as pepperoni, if in casings not exceeding
1 3/8 inches in diameter measured at the time of stuffing, the period of drying may be reduced
to 15 days. In no case, however, shall the sausage be released from the drying room in less than
25 days from the time the curing materials are added, except that sausage of the variety known as
pepperoni, if in casings not exceeding the size specified, may be released at the expiration of
20 days from the time the curing materials are added. Sausage in casings exceeding 3 ½ inches,
but not exceeding 4 inches, in diameter at the time of stuffing, shall be held in a drying room
not less than 35 days at a temperature not lower than 45 deg.F., and in no case shall the
sausage be released from the drying room in less than 40 days from the time the curing materials
are added to the meat.

Method No. 2. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding three-fourths of
an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than 3 1/3 pounds of salt to each
hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat.
After being stuffed, sausage having a diameter not exceeding 3 ½ inches, measured at the time of
stuffing, shall be smoked not less than 40 hours at a temperature not lower than 80 deg.F., and
finally held in a drying room not less than 10 days at a
temperature not lower than 45 deg.F. In no case, however, shall the sausage be released from the
drying room in less than 18 days from the time the curing materials are added to the meat.
Sausage exceeding 3 ½ inches, but not exceeding 4 inches, in diameter at the time of stuffing,
shall be held in a drying room, following smoking as above indicated, not less than 25 days at a
temperature not lower than 45 deg.F., but in no case shall the sausage be released from the
drying room in less than 33 days from the time the curing materials are added to the meat.

Method No. 3. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding three-fourths of
an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than 3 1/3 pounds of salt to each
hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat.
After admixture with the salt and other curing materials and before stuffing, the ground or
chopped meat shall be held at a temperature not lower than 34 deg.F. for not less than 36 hours.
After being stuffed, the sausage shall be held at a temperature not lower than 34 deg.F. for an
additional period of time sufficient to make a total of not less than 144 hours from the time the
curing materials are added to the meat, or the sausage shall be held for the time specified in a
pickle-curing medium of not less than 50 deg. strength (salometer reading) at a temperature not
lower than 44 deg.F. Finally, sausage having a diameter not exceeding 3 ½ inches, measured at
the time of stuffing, shall be smoked for not less than 12 hours. The temperature of the
smokehouse during this period at no time shall be lower than 90 deg.F.; and for 4 consecutive
hours of this period the smokehouse shall be maintained at a temperature not lower than 128
deg.F. Sausage exceeding 3 ½ inches, but not exceeding 4 inches, in diameter at the time of

Page 68
stuffing shall be smoked, following the prescribed curing, for not less than 15 hours. The
temperature of the smokehouse during the 15-hour period shall at no time be lower than 90 deg.F.,
and for 7 consecutive hours of this period the smokehouse shall be maintained at a temperature
not lower than 128 deg.F. In regulating the temperature of the smokehouse for the treatment of
sausage under this method, the temperature of 128 deg.F. shall be attained gradually during a
period of not less than 4 hours.

Method No. 4. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding one-fourth of an
inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than 2 ½ pounds of salt to each
hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat.
After admixture with the salt and other curing materials and before stuffing, the ground or
chopped sausage shall be held as a compact mass, not more than 6 inches in depth, at a
temperature not lower than 36 deg.F. for not less than 10 days. At the termination of the
holding period, the sausage shall be stuffed in casings or cloth bags not exceeding 3 1/3 inches
in diameter, measured at the time of stuffing. After being stuffed, the sausage shall be held in
a drying room at a temperature not lower than 45 deg.F. for the remainder of a 35-day period,
measured from the time the curing materials are added to the meat. At any time after stuffing, if
the establishment operator deems it desirable, the product may be heated in a water bath for a
period not to exceed 3 hours at a temperature not lower than 85 deg.F., or subjected to smoking
at a temperature not lower than 80 deg.F., or the product may be both heated and smoked as
specified. The time consumed in heating and smoking, however, shall be in addition to the 35-day
holding period specified.

Method No. 5. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not exceeding three-fourths of
an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than 3 1/3 pounds of salt to each
hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat.
After being stuffed, the sausage shall be held for not less than 65 days at a temperature not
lower than 45 deg.F. The coverings for sausage prepared according to this method may be coated
at any stage of the preparation before or during the holding period with
paraffin or other substance approved by the Administrator.

Method No. 6. (A) Basic requirements. The meat shall be ground or chopped into pieces not
exceeding three-fourths of an inch in diameter. A dry-curing mixture containing not less than
3.33 pounds of salt to each hundredweight of the unstuffed sausage, excluding the weight of dry
ingredients, shall be thoroughly mixed with the ground or chopped meat. After the curing mixture
has been added, the sausage shall be held for two time periods, a holding period and a drying
period. The holding period will be for a minimum of 48 hours at a room temperature not lower than
35 deg.F. This holding period requirement may be fulfilled totally or in part before the drying
period and then the remainder, if any, after the drying period or as an extension of the drying
period. During the drying period, the sausage shall be held in a drying room at a temperature not
lower than 50 (10.0 deg.F. 10.0 deg.C) for a period of time determined by Tables 3A, 3B, and 4.
The length of the drying period, established in (c)(3)(i)(A), may be modified as provided in
paragraphs (c)(3)(i)(B) and (c)(3)(i)(C) of this section.

Table 3A--Sausage Drying Room Times by Method No. 6

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Days in
Diameter of casing at time of stuffing\1\ drying
room\2\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Up to:
1 inches................................................... 14
1 ½ inches.............................................. 15
2 inches................................................... 16
2 ½ inches.............................................. 18
3 inches................................................... 20
3 ½ inches.............................................. 23
4 inches................................................... 25
4 ½ inches.............................................. 30
5 inches................................................... 35
5 ½ inches.............................................. 43
6 inches................................................... 50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The drying room times for flattened or oval sausages shall use a diameter derived by
measuring the circumference and dividing by 3.14 (pi).
\2\ Drying room time may be modified as set forth in Tables 3B and 4.

(B) Reduction in Drying Room Time. During the holding period, the sausage may be smoked or
fermented. If the temperature is increased to 70 deg.F. (21.1 deg.C) or higher, while the sausage
is being held after adding curing materials but before the drying period, the subsequent drying
room times prescribed for this method may be reduced according to the schedule in Table 3B. No
interpolation of values is permissible.

Table 3B--Percentage Reduction in Drying Room Time (Table 3A) Permitted by

Page 69
Holding Times and Temperatures Prior to Drying \1\
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Minimum temperature \2\
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Minimum Time 70F 75F 80F 85F 90F 95F 100F 105F 110F 120F
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
21.1C 23.9C 26.7C 29.5C 32.2C 35.0C 37.9C 40.6C 43.3C 48.9C
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
24 hour 4 5 8 10 15 23 37 57 90 \3\100
48 hours 9 12 18 25 35 49 88 \3\100 \3\100 100
72 hours 14 19 28 39 55 74 \3\100 100 100 100
96 hours 19 26 38 53 75 98 100 100 100 100
120 hours 24 33 48 67 95 \3\100 100 100 100 100
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
\1\ In computing the days to be deducted, the number with any fraction shall be rounded to the
next lower whole number and shall be deducted from the required total drying time. Example:
Sausage stuffed in 3" diameter casing requires 20 days in the drying room (from Drying Room
Times, Table 3A). If allowed to ferment, after addition of curing materials, at 80 F. for 48
hours, the 20 day drying time may be reduced 18% (from Table 3B). Eighteen percent of 20 day
equals 3.6 days. Twenty days minus 3 days equals 17 days. The total drying time required in the
drying room, therefore, will be 17 days.
\2\ Either room temperature or internal product temperature shall be used for sausages that will
be subsequently dried to a moisture-protein ratio of 2.3:1 or less. Internal product temperature
shall be used for all other sausages.
\3\ Trichinae will be destroyed during fermentation or smoking at the temperature and length of
time indicated. Therefore, no drying room period is required for products so treated.

(C) Reduced Salt Content--Drying Room Times. Salt content of less than 3.33 pounds for each
hundredweight of sausage formulation, excluding dry ingredients, (such as salts, sugars, and
spices), may be permitted provided the drying time is increased according to the schedule
contained in Table 4.

Trichina Treatment of Sausage by Method No. 6; Table 4--Reduced Salt Content--

Drying Room Times[Required percentage increase in drying room time (table 3A) for added salt of
less than 3.33 pounds per hundredweight of sausage]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Increase
in drying
Minimum pounds of salt added to sausage \1\ room time
\2\
------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.3.......................................................... 1
3.2.......................................................... 4
3.1.......................................................... 7
3.0.......................................................... 10
2.9.......................................................... 13
2.8.......................................................... 16
2.7.......................................................... 19
2.6.......................................................... 22
2.5.......................................................... 25
2.4.......................................................... 28
2.3.......................................................... 31
2.2.......................................................... 34
2.1.......................................................... 37
2.0.......................................................... 40
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Calculate the salt content for column 1 as follows: Multiply the pounds of salt in the
sausage formulation by 100. Then divide this number by the total weight of sausage formulation
minus the weight of dry ingredients and round down to the next lowest 0.1%. Percents may be
substituted for pounds.
Example: 120 lbs. pork, 3.56 lbs. salt, 2 lbs. spices, 0.5 lbs. wine, 1 lb. water and starter
culture, 0.8 lbs. sugar, .012 lbs. sodium nitrite total weight is 127.872 lbs.
(3.56 x 100)/(127.872-3.56-2-.8-.012)=356/121.5=2.93
Therefore, the sausage drying time must be increased by 13 percent.
\2\ In computing the days to be added to the required total drying time, fractions shall be
rounded to the next higher whole number and added to the required total drying time. Example:
Sausage stuffed in 3 1/2 inch diameter casing requires 23 days in the drying room (from Drying
Room Times). If the quantity of salt added per hundredweight of sausage is 2 pounds instead of
3.33 pounds, the drying room time must be increased by 40 percent (from Reduced Salt Content-

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Drying Room Times), or 9.2 days. The 9.2 is rounded up to 10 days and is added to the 23 days to
equal 33 days. The total drying time required in the drying room, therefore, will be 33 days.

Method No. 7, Dry Sausages.

(A) General Requirements. The establishment shall use meat particles reduced in size to no
more than 1/4 inch in diameter. The establishment shall add a curing mixture containing no less
than 2.7 pounds of salt per hundred pounds of meat
and mix it uniformly throughout the product. The establishment shall hold, heat, and dry the
product according to paragraph (B) or (C) below.
(B) Holding, Heating, and Drying Treatment, Large Sausages. Except as permitted in (C) below,
the establishment shall subject sausages in casings not exceeding 105 mm in diameter, at the time
of stuffing, to all of the following minimum chamber temperatures and time periods.

Treatment Schedule for Sausages 105 Millimeters (4\1/8\ Inches) or Less in Diameter
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minimum chamber temperature
------------------------------------------------- Minimum time (hours)
( deg.F) ( deg.C)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
50..................... 10 12
90..................... 32.2 1
100.................... 37.8 1
110.................... 43.3 1
120.................... 48.9 1
125.................... 51.7 7
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Following the preceding treatment, the establishment shall dry the sausages at a temperature not
lower than 50 deg.F (10 deg.C) for not less than 7 days.
(C) Heating and Drying Treatment, Small Sausages. Alternatively, the establishment may
subject sausages in casings not exceeding 55 mm in diameter, at the time of stuffing, to all of
the following minimum chamber temperatures and time periods.

Treatment Schedule for Sausages 55 Millimeters (2\1/8\ Inches) or Less in Diameter

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minimum chamber temperature
------------------------------------------------- Minimum time (hours)
( deg.F) ( deg.C)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
50..................... 10 12
100.................... 37.8 1
125.................... 51.7 6
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Following the preceding heat treatment, the establishment shall dry the sausages at a temperature
not lower than 50 deg.F (10 deg.C) for not less than 4 days.

***
(d) General instructions: When necessary to comply with the requirements
of this section, the smokehouses, drying rooms, and other compartments used
in the treatment of pork to destroy possible live trichinae shall be suitably
equipped, by the operator of the official establishment, with accurate
automatic recording thermometers. Circuit supervisors are authorized to
approve for use in sausage smokehouses, drying rooms, and other compartments,
such automatic recording thermometers as are found to give satisfactory
service and to disapprove and require discontinuance of use, for purposes of
the regulations in this subchapter, any thermometers (including any automatic
recording thermometers) of the establishment that are found to be inaccurate
or unreliable.

***

PART 319--DEFINITIONS AND STANDARDS OF IDENTITY OR COMPOSITION

Sec. 319.2 Products and nitrates and nitrites.

Any product, such as frankfurters and corned beef, for which there is a
standard in this part and to which nitrate or nitrite is permitted or

Page 71
required to be added, may be prepared without nitrate or nitrite and labeled
with such standard name when immediately preceded with the term ``Uncured''
in the same size and style of lettering as the rest of such standard name:
Provided, That the product is found by the Administrator to be similar in
size, flavor, consistency, and general appearance to such product as commonly
prepared with nitrate and nitrite: And provided further, That labeling for
such product complies with the provisions of Sec. 317.17(c) of this
subchapter.

***

E--Sausage Generally: Fresh Sausage

Sec. 319.140 Sausage.

Except as otherwise provided in this section, or under the Poultry

Products Inspection Act with respect to products consisting partly of
poultry, sausage is the coarse or finely comminuted meat food product
prepared from one or more kinds of meat or meat and meat byproducts,
containing various amounts of water as provided for elsewhere in this part,
and usually seasoned with condimented proportions of condimental substances,
and frequently cured. Certain sausage as provided for elsewhere in this part
may contain binders and extenders as provided in Sec. 318.7(c)(4) of this
subchapter. Sausage may not contain phosphates except that phosphates listed
in Sec. 318.7(c)(4) of this subchapter may be used in cooked sausage. To
facilitate chopping or mixing or to dissolve the usual curing ingredients,
water or ice may be used in the preparation of sausage which is not cooked in
an amount not to exceed 3 percent of the total ingredients in the formula.
Cooked sausages such as Polish sausage, cotto salami, braunschweiger, liver
sausage, and similar cooked sausage products may contain no more than 10
percent of added water in the finished product. Sausage may contain
Mechanically Separated (Species) used in accordance with Sec. 319.6.

Sec. 319.141 Fresh pork sausage.

``Fresh Pork Sausage'' is sausage prepared with fresh pork or frozen pork
or both, but not including pork byproducts, and may contain Mechanically
Separated (Species) in accordance with Sec. 319.6, and may be seasoned with
condimental substances as permitted under part 318 of this subchapter. The
finished product shall not contain more than 50 percent fat. To facilitate
chopping or mixing, water or ice may be used in an amount not to exceed 3
percent of the total ingredients used.

Sec. 319.142 Fresh beef sausage.

``Fresh Beef Sausage'' is sausage prepared with fresh beef or frozen

beef, or both, but not including beef byproducts, and may contain
Mechanically Separated (Species) used in accordance with Sec. 319.6, and may
be seasoned with condimental substances as permitted under part 318 of this
subchapter. The finished product shall not contain more than 30 percent fat.
To facilitate chopping or mixing, water or ice may be used in an amount not
to exceed 3 percent of the total ingredients used.
Sec. 319.143 Breakfast sausage.

``Breakfast sausage'' is sausage prepared with fresh and/or frozen meat;

or fresh and/or frozen meat and meat byproducts, and may contain Mechanically
Separated (Species) in accordance with Sec. 319.6, and may be seasoned with
condimental substances as permitted in part 318 of this subchapter. The
finished product shall not contain more than 50 percent fat. To facilitate

Page 72
chopping or mixing, water or ice may be used in an amount not to exceed 3
percent of the total ingredients used. Binders or extenders may be added as
provided in Sec. 318.7(c)(4) of this subchapter.

Sec. 319.144 Whole hog sausage.

``Whole Hog Sausage'' is sausage prepared with fresh and/or frozen meat
from swine in such proportions as are normal to a single animal, and may
include any Mechanically Separated (Species) produced from the animal and
used in accordance with Sec. 319.6, and may be seasoned with condimental
substances as permitted under part 318 of this subchapter. The finished
product shall not contain more than 50 percent fat. To facilitate chopping or
mixing, water or ice may be used in an amount not to exceed 3 percent of the
total ingredients used.

Sec. 319.145 Italian sausage products.

(a) Italian sausage products are cured or uncured sausages containing at

least 85 percent meat, or combination of meat and fat, with the total fat
content constituting not more than 35 percent of the finished product. Such
products shall be prepared in accordance with the provisions of paragraph (a)
(1), (2) or (3) of this section, and shall contain salt, pepper, and either
fennel or anise, or a combination of fennel and anise. Such products may
contain any or all of the optional ingredients listed in paragraph (b) of
this section.
(1) ``Italian Sausage'' shall be prepared with fresh or frozen pork, or
pork and pork fat, and may contain Mechanically Separated (Species) in
accordance with Sec. 319.6.
(2) ``Italian Sausage with Beef,'' ``Italian Sausage with Veal,'' or
``Italian Sausage with Beef and Veal,'' shall be prepared so that fresh or
frozen pork constitutes the major portion of the meat content requirement of
this paragraph. Mechanically Separated (Species) may be used in accordance
with Sec. 319.6. When pork muscle tissue is combined with beef or veal, or
both, in the preparation of bulk-packed products, or patties, it shall be
treated for the destruction of possible live trichinae in accordance with
Sec. 318.10 of this subchapter.
(3) ``Italian Beef Sausage'' or ``Kosher Italian Beef Sausage'' shall be
prepared with fresh or frozen beef or beef and beef fat. ``Italian Veal
Sausage'' or ``Kosher Italian Veal Sausage'' shall be prepared with fresh or
frozen veal or veal and veal fat. Mechanically Separated (Species) may be
used in accordance with Sec. 319.6.
(4) Italian sausage products made in conformance with the provisions of
paragraphs (a) (1), (2), and (3) of this section, and with paragraphs (b) and
(c) of this section, may contain sodium nitrite or potassium nitrite in
amounts not to exceed those allowed in the chart following Sec. 318.7(c)(4),
provided that such products are labeled with the word ``cured'' in the
product name, such as ``Cured Italian Sausage.'' The word ``cured'' shall be
displayed on the product label in the same size and style of lettering as
other words in the product name.
(b) Optional ingredients permitted in Italian sausage products include:
(1) Spices (including paprika) and flavorings.
(2) Water or ice to facilitate chopping or mixing, but not to exceed 3
percent of the total weight of all ingredients including the water.
(3) Red or green peppers, or both.
(4) Dehydrated or fresh onions, garlic, and parsley.
(5) Sugar, dextrose, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, and glucose syrup.
(6) Monosodium glutamate and antioxidants in accordance with the chart of
substances in Sec. 318.7(c)(4) of this subchapter.

Page 73
 (c) If Italian sausage products are cooked or smoked, determination of
compliance with the provisions of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section
shall be based on the uncooked or unsmoked product. The product before
cooking or smoking shall contain no more than 3 percent water as specified in
paragraph (b)(2) of this section. Product which is cooked shall be labeled
with the word ``cooked'' in the product name, such as ``Cooked Italian
Sausage'' or ``Cooked Cured Italian Sausage.'' Product which is smoked shall
be labeled with the word ``smoked'' in the product name, such as ``Smoked
Italian Sausage'' or ``Smoked Cured Italian Sausage.'' The words ``cooked''
and ``smoked'' shall be displayed on the product label in the same size and
style of lettering as other words in
the product name.

F--Uncooked, Smoked Sausage

Sec. 319.160 Smoked pork sausage.

``Smoked Pork Sausage'' is pork sausage that is smoked with hardwood or

other approved nonresinous materials. It may be seasoned with condimental
substances as permitted in part 318 of this subchapter. The finished product
shall not contain more than 50 percent fat. To facilitate chopping or mixing,
water, or ice may be used in an amount not to exceed 3 percent of the total
ingredients used.

G--Cooked Sausage

Sec. 319.180 Frankfurter, frank, furter, hotdog, weiner, vienna, bologna,

garlic bologna, knockwurst, and similar products.

(a) Frankfurter, frank, furter, hot-dog, wiener, vienna, bologna, garlic

bologna, knockwurst and similar cooked sausages are comminuted, semisolid
sausages prepared from one or more kinds of raw skeletal muscle meat or raw
skeletal muscle meat and raw or cooked poultry meat, and seasoned and cured,
using one or more of the curing agents in accordance with Sec. 318.7(c) of
this chapter. They may or may not be smoked. The finished products shall not
contain more than 30 percent fat. Water or ice, or both, may be used to
facilitate chopping or mixing or to dissolve the curing ingredients but the
sausage shall contain no more than 40 percent of a combination of fat and
added water. These
sausage products may contain only phosphates approved under part 318 of this
chapter. Such products may contain raw or cooked poultry meat and/or
Mechanically Separated (Kind of Poultry) without skin and without kidneys and
sex glands used in accordance with Sec. 381.174, not in excess of 15 percent
of the total ingredients, excluding water, in the sausage, and Mechanically
Separated (Species) used in accordance with Sec. 319.6. Such poultry meat
ingredients shall be designated in the ingredient statement on the label of
such sausage in accordance with the provisions of Sec. 381.118 of this
chapter.
(b) Frankfurter, frank, furter, hot-dog, wiener, vienna, bologna, garlic
bologna, knockwurst and similar cooked sausages that are labeled with the
phrase ``with byproducts'' or ``with variety meats'' in the product name are
comminuted, semisolid sausages consisting of not less than 15 percent of one
or more kinds of raw skeletal muscle meat with raw meat byproducts, or not
less than 15 percent of one or more kinds of raw skeletal muscle meat with
raw meat byproducts and raw or cooked poultry products; and seasoned and
cured, using one or more of the curing ingredients in accordance with Sec.
318.7(c) of this chapter. They may or may not be smoked. Partially defatted
pork fatty tissue or

Page 74
partially defatted beef fatty tissue, or a combination of both, may be used
in an amount not exceeding 15 percent of the meat and meat byproducts or
meat, meat byproducts, and poultry products ingredients. The finished
products shall not contain more than 30 percent fat. Water or ice, or both,
may be used to facilitate chopping or mixing to dissolve the curing and
seasoning ingredients, the sausage shall contain no more than 40 percent of a
combination of fat and added water. These sausage products may contain only
phosphates approved under part 318 of this chapter. These sausage products
may contain poultry products and/or Mechanically Separated (Kind of Poultry)
used in accordance with Sec. 381.174, individually or in combination, not in
excess of 15 percent of the total ingredients, excluding water, in the
sausage, and may contain Mechanically Separated (Species) used in accordance
with Sec. 319.6. Such poultry products shall not contain kidneys or sex
glands. The amount of poultry skin present in the sausage must not exceed the
natural proportion of skin present on the whole carcass of the kind of
poultry used in the sausage, as specified in Sec. 381.117(d) of this chapter.
The poultry products used in the sausage shall be designated in the
ingredient statement on the label of such sausage in accordance with the
provisions of Sec. 381.118 of this chapter. Meat byproducts used in the
sausage shall be designated individually in the ingredient statement on the
label for such sausage in accordance with Sec. 317.2 of this chapter.
(c) A cooked sausage as defined in paragraph (a) of this section shall be
labeled by its generic name, e.g., frankfurter, frank, furter, hotdog,
wiener, vienna, bologna, garlic bologna, or knockwurst. When such sausage
products are prepared with meat from a single species of cattle, sheep,
swine, or goats they shall be labeled with the term designating the
particular species in conjunction with the generic name, e.g., ``Beef
Frankfurter,'' and when such sausage products are prepared in part with
Mechanically Separated (Species) in accordance with Sec. 319.6, they shall be
labeled in accordance with Sec. 317.2(j)(13) of this subchapter.
(d) A cooked sausage as defined in paragraph (b) of this section shall be
labeled by its generic name, e.g., frankfurter, frank, furter, hotdog,
wiener, vienna, bologna, garlic bologna, or knockwurst, in conjunction with
the phrase ``with byproducts'' or ``with variety meats'' with such
supplemental phrase shown in a prominent manner directly contiguous to the
generic name and in the same color on an identical background.
(e) One or more of the binders and extenders as provided in Sec.
18.7(c)(4) of this subchapter may be used in cooked sausage otherwise
complying with paragraph (a) or (b) of this section. When any such substance
is added to these products, the substance shall be designated in the
ingredients statement by its common or usual name in order of predominance.
(f) Cooked sausages shall not be labeled with terms such as ``All Meat''
or ``All (Species),'' or otherwise to indicate they do not contain nonmeat
ingredients or are prepared only from meat.
(g) For the purposes of this section: Poultry meat means deboned chicken
meat or turkey meat, or both, without skin or added fat; poultry products
mean chicken or turkey, or chicken meat or turkey meat as defined in Sec.
381.118 of this chapter, or poultry byproducts as defined in Sec. 381.1 of
this chapter; and meat byproducts (or variety meats), mean pork stomachs or
snouts; beef, veal, lamb, or goat tripe; beef, veal, lamb, goat, or pork
hearts, tongues, fat, lips, weasands, and spleens; and partially defatted
pork fatty tissue, or partially defatted beef fatty tissue.

Sec. 319.181 Cheesefurters and similar products.

``Cheesefurters'' and similar products are products in casings which

resemble frankfurters except that they contain sufficient cheese to give
definite characteristics to the finished article. They may contain binders
and extenders as provided in Sec. 318.7(c)(4) of this subchapter. Limits on

Page 75
use as provided in Sec. 318.7 are intended to be exclusive of the cheese
constituent. When any such substance is added to these products, the
substance shall be designated in the ingredients statement by its common or
usual name in order of predominance. These products shall contain no more
than 40 percent of a combination of fat and added water, and no more than 30
percent fat and shall comply with the other provisions for cooked sausages
that are in this subchapter.

Sec. 319.182 Braunschweiger and liver sausage or liverwurst.

(a) ``Braunschweiger'' is a cooked sausage made from fresh, cured, and/or

frozen pork, beef, and/or veal and at least 30 percent pork, beef, and/or
veal livers computed on the weight of the fresh livers. It may also contain
pork and/or beef fat. Mechanically Separated (Species) may be used in
accordance with Sec. 319.6. Binders and extenders may be used as permitted in
Sec. 319.140. The product may have a smoked taste characteristic, which may
be imparted by use of smoked meats, smoke flavoring or smoking. If prepared
from components of a single species, the product name may reflect the
species, e.g., ``Beef Braunschweiger.'' Braunschweiger may also be labeled as
any of the following: ``Braunschweiger--A Liver Sausage,'' ``Braunschweiger--
A Liverwurst,'' or ``Braunschweiger (Liver Sausage)'' or ``Braunschweiger
(Liverwurst).''
(b) ``Liver Sausage'' or ``Liverwurst'' is a cooked sausage made from
fresh, cured, and/or frozen pork, beef, and/or veal and at least 30 percent
pork, beef, veal, sheep, and/or goat livers computed on the weight of the
fresh livers. It may also contain pork and/or beef byproducts. Mechanically
Separated (Species) may be used in accordance with Sec. 319.6. Binders and
extenders maybe used as permitted in Sec. 319.140. If prepared from
components of a single species, the product name may reflect that species,
e.g., ``Pork Liver Sausage.''

K--Luncheon Meat, Loaves and Jellied Products

Sec. 319.260 Luncheon meat.

``Luncheon Meat'' is a cured, cooked meat food product made from

comminuted meat. Mechanically Separated (Species) may be used in accordance
with Sec. 319.6. To facilitate chopping or mixing or to dissolve the usual
curing ingredients, water or ice may be used in the preparation of luncheon
meat in an amount not to exceed 3 percent of the total ingredients.

Sec. 319.261 Meat loaf.

``Meat Loaf'' is a cooked meat food product in loaf form made from
comminuted meat. Mechanically Separated (Species) may be used in accordance
with Sec. 319.6. To facilitate chopping or mixing, water or ice may be used
in an amount not to exceed 3 percent of the total ingredients used.

***

Page 76
Appendix: C FSIS Listeria Guidelines for Industry, May, 1999

The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has published a Federal Register notice
to ensure that the owners and operators of federally inspected establishments are
aware of the Agency’s views about the application of its hazard analysis and critical
control point (HACCP) system regulations to contamination with Listeria.
monocytogenes, and to provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the
Agency’s views.

FSIS believes that the findings from testing a range of ready-to-eat products and
information from investigations of outbreaks of listeriosis constitute changes that could
affect an establishment’s hazard analysis and could alter the HACCP plan for affected
products. Therefore, under 9CFR417.4, establishments must reassess their HACCP
plans for ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. If reassessment results in a
determination that L. monocytogenes contamination is a food safety hazard reasonably
likely to occur in the production process, then it is a type of microbiological
contamination that must be addressed in a HACCP plan.

The Agency is in the process of revising FSIS Directive 10,240.2, Microbial Sampling of
Ready-to-Eat Products Produced By Establishments Operating Under A HACCP
System. The revision will address when inspection personnel should not collect product
samples for testing by FSIS if establishments are testing. The Agency is considering a
policy similar to that contained in FSIS Directive 10,010.1, Microbiological Testing
Program For Escherichia coli O157: H7 in Raw Ground Beef. Until FSIS Directive
10,240.2 is revised and issued, inspection personnel will continue to collect product
samples regardless of any testing being done by the establishment.

PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT

The purpose of this document is: (1) to assist establishments that have implemented
HACCP and produce RTE product other than thermally processed, commercially sterile,
in reassessing their HACCP plans with respect to the hazard that may be presented by
L. monocytogenes, and (2) to provide for those establishments that conclude, after such
reassessment, that their HACCP plans must address the hazard presented by L.
monocytogenes, examples of practices that have been used successfully by other meat
and poultry producing establishments to prevent the occurrence of this pathogen in their
RTE products.

This document has been assembled using currently available scientific and technical
information from within the Agency and other parts of the government, from meat and
poultry processing establishments that have shared their successful approaches, and
from trade associations that have also shared their collective best thinking on how to
handle this difficult problem.
(the page before this should be 76, there is no page 1)

Page 2
BACKGROUND

The Organism Listeria is ubiquitous in nature. It is commonly found in the intestines of

animals and humans without causing illness. It can survive for long periods of time in
soil, leaf litter, sewage, silage dust, vegetation, and water. The organism has been
found in many domestic and wild animals, fish, birds, insects, and snails. It has been
isolated from a variety of products, including raw milk, cheese made from unpasteurized
milk, soft cheese, meat and poultry and their products, cole slaw, and cabbage.
L. monocytogenes bacteria are found frequently in the food-processing environment
and can form biofilms on solid surfaces commonly found in the food processing plants,
including stainless steel and rubber under experimental conditions. Listeria can also
survive adverse conditions on apparently smooth surfaces.

Recent Experiences with Meat and Poultry Products

In recent months there have been several recalls of RTE meat and poultry products
because of adulteration with L. monocytogenes. Foodborne illnesses and deaths have
been linked to some recalled products. It has generally been concluded that the
adulteration occurred through cross-contamination from environmental sources
following cooking. Industry for the most part, has identified this as an SSOP failure.

REASSESSMENT OF HACCP PLANS

Below are points to consider when an establishment is developing or reassessing its
HACCP plan(s).

§ What are the levels of L. monocytogenes on source materials for your products? Do
levels fluctuate significantly depending on suppliers? Do levels fluctuate significantly
because of your practices regarding the use of rework product in various products?

Raw meat and poultry have been shown to be a source of L. monocytogenes.

Knowing the worst possible incoming levels of L. monocytogenes can help you to
determine whether your kill step is adequate. Raw materials should be used on a
first in, first out basis to minimize time in storage and potential increase in L.
monocytogenes levels. Product used as rework because it has been found to be
positive for L. monocytogenes in end product testing would add to the microbial
load.

Listeria monocytogenes in FSIS Nationwide Sampling Programs

Product Listeria
monocytogenes
Prevalence High Value Geometric Meana
Steer / Heifer 4.1% >11 MPN / cm2 0.2 MPN / cm2
carcasses

Page 3
Cow / Bull 11.3% 43 MPN / cm2 0.3 MPN / cm2
carcasses
Market Hog 7.4% 46 MPN / cm2 0.3 MPN / cm2
carcasses
Broiler Chicken 15.0% 51 MPN / cm2 0.025 MPN / cm2
carcasses
Turkey carcasses 5.9% 0.30 MPN / cm2 0.02 MPN / cm2
Raw ground beef 11.7% >110 MPN / g 2.9 MPN / gram
Raw ground 41.1% 430 MPN / g 1.03 MPN / gram
chicken
Raw ground 30.5% 93 MPN / g 0.75 MPN / gram
turkey
a
Calculated from positive samples only.

§ What do your validation results tell you about the efficacy of kill steps used in your
processes? What in-plant experience do you have which confirms the efficacy of the
kill step you use on products produced from all types of source materials?

Challenge studies, scientific literature, computer modeling programs, and expert advice
from processing authorities can be used to validate a HACCP plan. However, the
effectiveness of the kill step under actual in-plant conditions would be evaluated through
the HACCP plan verification.

§ If your products are exposed to an environment not known to be free of L.

monocytogenes, what post-kill step controls prevent their contamination by that
environment? What do your records reveal about sources of L. monocytogenes in
your facility? What do your records tell you about the success of efforts to remove
particular sources?

An environmental testing program can be a means of confirming that the establishment’s

controls are effective in maintaining a plant environment that will minimize the hazard of
pathogens including Listeria monocytogenes. In addition to measuring the effectiveness
of a sanitation program, a correctly designed environmental testing program may:

§ Provide information about sources of environmental contaminants

§ Identify the extent of pathogen contamination of the environment
§ Provide information about faulty equipment design or operation
§ Identify probable post processing cross-contamination sites

§ Do you produce meat and poultry products that will support the growth of L.
monocytogenes? What is the basis of your view? What are the implications for
storage temperatures and shelf-life?

Currently available information indicates that establishments should view a RTE

meat or poultry product as a food that supports the growth of Listeria
monocytogenes unless the 1999 Food Code (DHHS, U. S. Public Health Service,
FDA) excludes the product from its definition of a "Potentially hazardous food"
(excerpts) because (1) the product has an aw value of 0.85 or less; (2) the
product’s pH is 4.6 or below when measured at 24oC (75oF); (3) a food, in an

Page 4
 unopened hermetically sealed container, that is commercially processed to
achieve and maintain commercial sterility under conditions of non-refrigerated
storage and distribution; (4) laboratory evidence demonstrates that the rapid and
progressive growth of infectious or toxigenic microorganisms or the growth of C.
botulinum can not occur, and that may contain a preservative, other barrier to the
growth of microorganisms, or a combination of barriers that inhibit the growth of
microorganisms; or (5) the product does not support the growth of
microorganisms…"

§ What does finished product testing reveal about the status of your products with
respect to microbial contamination?
FSIS believes that findings of L. monocytogenes in finished product are
significant evidence that L. monocytogenes contamination may be a food safety
hazard reasonably likely to occur in the production process for that product.
Since 1989, FSIS has conducted finished product testing for L. monocytogenes
in several RTE meat and poultry product categories. The results found are as
follows:

Listeria monocytogenes in FSIS RTE Sampling Programs, 1989 to present

Product Listeria
monocytogenes
Tested Positive Percent Positive
Jerky 575 4 0.7
Large Diameter 3099 51 1.6
Sausages
Cooked Uncured 6055 148 2.4
Poultry
Roast/Corned/Cooked 4900 150 3.1
Beef
Salads and Spreads 3619 124 3.4
Small Diameter 4980 219 4.4
Sausages
Sliced Ham/Luncheon 1360 78 5.7
Meats

CURRENT THINKING ON BEST PRACTICES

A number of trade associations have produced "Best Practice" or GMP documents that
cover production practices such as sanitation, raw materials handling, and employee
hygiene. These documents are listed in the bibliography; copies may be obtained from
these organizations.

SAMPLING PROGRAMS
The Agency envisions two types of sampling programs that establishments may use:
environmental and end product. Environmental sampling includes non-product contact

Page 5
surfaces, such as floors and drains, and product contact surfaces, such as conveyors,
belts, slicers, and peelers. End product testing covers RTE product. Examples of testing
programs in use in industry are provided in Attachment 1.

Establishments with limited resources should establish end product sampling as their
top priority, followed by product contact surface/non-product contact surface testing. A
comprehensive flowchart outlining environmental and end product testing is provided in
Attachment 2.

ENVIRONMENTAL TESTING: A Commonly Used Tool

Sample Sites and Frequency
Selection of sample sites and sampling frequency for non-product and product contact
surfaces depends on establishment features such as plant layout, overhead structures,
number of production lines/products, location of processing equipment, and product
flow. A sampling protocol should include the sample sites, sample area size, sampling
frequency and sample collection techniques. In general, samples sites should be
selected randomly. However, some sites may be designated for sampling on a regular
basis based on the hazard analysis. Sample size can be determined based on the
nature of equipment or surfaces e.g. flat surfaces, inside of equipment, etc. The plan
should also detail appropriate, progressive actions the establishment will take as
positive samples are found.

Methods
Environmental samples, including swabs and sponges, should be placed in a
neutralizing medium immediately after collection, in order to neutralize any residual
disinfectants that may be picked up from equipment or other environmental sampling
sites. Samples should be stored and shipped to laboratories using standardized
procedures. A reputable laboratory should analyze samples. The establishment is
responsible for determining the competency of the laboratory used. The laboratory
conducting the sample analyses should have properly trained personnel, suitable
facilities and equipment, a written quality assurance program that is available to all
personnel, and reporting and record keeping capabilities. Presently there is no AOAC-
approved method for analyzing environmental samples for Listeria. Laboratories can
use published methods after validation. Laboratories can also use FSIS’ L.
monocytogenes method published in the Microbiology Laboratory Guidebook, 3rd
edition (Chapter 8, Revision #1, 1/12/99).

An establishment may choose to perform its own indicator organism testing using a
screening test. Such tests are available but should be validated as part of the HACCP
plan.

Record Keeping
The results of environmental sampling are not available until after products are
produced. Therefore, adequate and accurate records are essential because the

Page 6
environmental sampling program is of retrospective value only. For example,
identification of the site sampled (drain #1 in peeling room) and the visible condition of
the site (clean, smooth surface) is necessary to effectively utilize the sampling results.

Results and Follow-up: Non-product contact surfaces

If positive samples are found from non-product contact surfaces, follow-up actions
should be taken, and may include thorough cleaning of suspect areas and equipment
with subsequent intensified/expanded testing.

Results and Follow-up: Product contact surfaces

If positive samples are found on product contact surfaces, different follow up actions
should be taken, including follow up sampling of product produced on that line, as
follows:

1. Once the product contact surface is found to be positive for the number of samples
indicated in the HACCP plan for Listeria spp., the next lot of product produced from
the line should be sampled and tested for L. monocytogenes.
2. Minimum production time prior to sampling should be determined by the plant and
followed. The time may depend on individual line configuration, clean up, and
sanitizing procedures. The testing plan should include variations in the time of
sampling to detect the increase in Listeria that could occur during the production
shift.
3. After product sampling, the line may need to be cleaned and/or operational
procedures reviewed, before production of the next lot.
4. The product lot sampled may be held, pending laboratory results.
5. If a sampled lot is found to be positive for L. monocytogenes, and is already in
commerce, it will be subject to recall.
6. Product sampling may be intensified, such as testing several consecutive lots. All
product produced on positive lines may be held pending laboratory results.
7. After the predetermined number of lots has tested negative for L. monocytogenes,
the plant may resume its regular regime of environmental and product sampling.
8. The establishment should document the reason for contamination and steps taken to
prevent future incidents.

END PRODUCT TESTING: A Potential Verification Tool

An end product sampling program for RTE meat and poultry products may serve as
verification of the HACCP plan. An end product testing program should include several
elements, such as sampling frequency, sampling procedures, laboratory methods,
follow-up actions, and record keeping. Suggested scientific references that may be
helpful are listed in the bibliography.

Sample Frequency and Procedures

The frequency of end product sampling should take into consideration the number and
types of different products produced, complexity of processing procedures, the amount
of product produced, whether an environmental sampling program is in place, and

Page 7
establishment history. Establishments can base their sampling frequencies on any
validated statistical sampling program that achieves their objectives.
Products that have direct exposure to the establishment's processing environment after
a kill step is applied may be at greater risk from environmental contaminants than a
product cooked and distributed in the same packaging. An establishment may want to
increase the frequency of sampling of the former type of products. If no environmental
sampling is taking place, more frequent product sampling may be advisable because
the early warning of a potential L. monocytogenes problem that environmental sampling
may provide will not be available. An establishment that has a prior history of
L.monocytogenes findings by either FSIS or its own sampling program may also need to
test more frequently.

Sampling should be done as randomly as possible, with all lines and shifts eligible for
selection. From the selected lot, multiple sample packages should be collected from the
beginning, various middle time points, and towards the end of the production to test a
sample representative of the entire lot. Whenever practical, intact packages should be
sent to the laboratory for analysis, as they will provide better control of aseptic sampling.
Otherwise, an establishment should aseptically collect a portion of each package and
place the sample into a sterile bag or other sterile container for shipment to the
laboratory.

Methods
Samples should be stored and shipped to laboratories using standardized procedures.
A reputable laboratory should analyze samples. The establishment is responsible for
determining the competency of the laboratory used. The laboratory conducting the
sample analyses should have properly trained personnel, suitable facilities and
equipment, a written quality assurance program that is available to all personnel, and
reporting and record keeping capabilities. Laboratory methods employed should be
AOAC approved or the FSIS L. monocytogenes method published in the Microbiology
Laboratory Guidebook, 3rd edition (Chapter 8, Revision #1, 1/12/99).

Results and Follow-up

If a sampled lot is found to be positive for L. monocytogenes, the establishment should
take the appropriate actions.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
§ "An Evaluation of the Role of Microbiological Criteria for Foods and Food
Ingredients," Subcommittee on Microbiological Criteria, Committee on Food
Protection, Food and Nutrition Board, National Research Council, National Academy
Press, Washington, DC, 1985.
§ "Choice of Sampling Plan and Criteria for L. monocytogenes," International
Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods, International Journal of
Food Microbiology 22(1994): 89-96.
§ "Guidelines for Developing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Standard
Operating Procedures (SOPs), and Environmental Sampling/Testing

Page 8
 Recommendations (ESTRs) – Ready to Eat Products," coordinated by National
Meats Association, April 1999. (*)
§ [http://www.nmaonline.org/guifinal.pdf ]
§ "Guidelines to Prevent Post-Processing Contamination from Listeria
monocytogenes," National Food Processors Association, submitted to Dairy, Food,
and Environmental Sanitarian, April, 1999. (**)
§ "Interim Guidelines: Microbial Control During Production of Ready-to-Eat Meat and
Poultry Products," Joint Industry Task Force on Control of Microbial Pathogens in
Ready-to-Eat Meat and Poultry Products, Washington, DC, February 1999. (***)
[http://meatami.org/Guidelines_Microbial_Pathogens_299.pdf ]
§ "Microorganisms in Foods, Volume 2, Sampling for Microbiological Analysis:
Principles and Specific Applications," 2nd edition, International Commission on
Microbiological Specifications for Foods, University of Toronto Press, Toronto,
Canada, 1986.

Sources:
§ (***) American Meat Institute, 1700 N. Moore Street, Suite 1600, Arlington, VA
22209
§ (**) National Food Processors Association, 1350 I Street, NW, 3rd Floor,
Washington, DC 20005
§ (*) National Meats Association, 1970 Broadway, Suite 825, Oakland, CA 94612

Attachment 1: Examples of Environmental Monitoring Programs

Example A
Company A makes ready-to-eat salads, including potato salad, chicken salad, ham
salad, etc. for delicatessens in grocery stores. The company manufactures product in
two 8-hour shifts, 6 days a week. The third shift is reserved for sanitation. The company
targets the salad assembly area in the environmental monitoring component of its L.
monocytogenes control program. They have identified three tiers in their sampling
program: environmental sampling points, product contact surface points and finished
product testing.

They have identified 30 environmental sampling sites, including the walls next to the
preparation tables, the exterior of the mixing kettles, the mixer shaft, the drains under
the preparation tables, etc. Each week they randomly pick 15 of the 30 sites for testing
for Listeria spp.: these 15 sites are tested twice a week ("routine monitoring") before
production. Results are tracked as total number of positives over time and also by site.
When a positive is detected at any site, it is given extra attention during the next
sanitation. If the number of positives exceeds 15% (e.g., if there are 5 positives out of
30) during the week (two test periods, rolling window), or if the same environmental site
comes up positive more than 50% of the time in a month, these sites are given extra
attention during the next sanitation, and the areas are re-swabbed daily until there are
three consecutive days of negatives.

Page 9
Once this has occurred, the plant reverts to routine monitoring. If the problem is not
corrected within 5 days, the plant enters the 'trouble shooting" mode, which includes
more stringent decontamination procedures, such as disassembly and sanitizing,
fogging with sanitizers, changing sanitizers, double sanitizing, and heat treatments.
Company A also conducts routine random product contact surface testing, they have
identified 20 key product contact surfaces. Each week 10 of these are randomly
selected and tested for Listeria spp. twice a week at the end of production before
cleaning. If a positive is detected, the site is given extra attention during the next
sanitation and the site is re-swabbed. The site is tested daily for 5 days. If the site is
positive twice doing this 5-day period, the line is shut down and, if appropriate, torn
apart, taking trouble-shooting swabs during the disassembly. The product contact
surface and surrounding areas receive extra sanitation and the line is re-assembled.
Product contact surface swabs are then taken every two hours during production and all
product is placed on hold. If any swab tests positive, product from the 2-hour time
period and from each period on either side is tested for L. monocytogenes. Product that
is negative is released. Product that tests positive is destroyed, since re-processing is
not an option for this product

The company conducts random product testing of one salad product each month by
taking one package every two hours and compositing product from x packages. This
results in two tests for each shift of product. Product is tested for L. monocytogenes.
Product found to be positive for L. monocytogenes is destroyed and routine product
contact monitoring testing for Listeria spp. is conducted daily for a week, with
appropriate action taken as described for routine monitoring of product contact surfaces.
If product is found to be positive for Listeria spp., including L. monocytogenes, the
company undertakes investigations to determine the cause of the problem. The L.
monocytogenes control program is also reviewed and revised as appropriate.

Company B
Company B produces fully cooked, breaded chicken products, The company
manufactures product on three separate lines in two 8-hour shifts, 6 days a week. The
third shift is reserved for sanitation. The company's environmental monitoring
component of its L. monocytogenes control program targets the area where product
exits the fryer, is chilled and then packaged. There are two parts to this company's
program: product contact surface testing and non-product contact surface testing.
The company monitors 20 environmental (non-product contact) surfaces on a weekly
basis for Listeria spp, (routine monitoring). Whenever a positive is detected, the
company investigates to determine if the positive is an isolated incident by re-sampling
the site and by taking additional swabs in the immediate area of the positive. If there are
no additional positives, the plant considers the initial positive to be an isolated incident
and returns to routine monitoring. If additional positives are detected, the plant institutes
corrective actions, which may include a. review of the current L. monocytogenes control
program, revising GMPs, changing sanitizes, enhanced sanitation in clean areas,
employee retraining, etc. The company then monitors twice a week (enhanced
monitoring) until there are 4 consecutive negative periods, at which point the company
returns to routine monitoring.

Page 10
The company also monitors 15 product contact surfaces on each line at the end of each
shift of production every other week. For each line, 5 swabs are composited, resulting
in 3 tests per line for a shift. If a positive is detected, company investigates by re-
swabbing and testing the swabs individually, as well as by taking additional swabs in the
area. If the swabs are all negative, they return to routine monitoring. If there is a
positive, the plant institutes corrective actions, which may include intensified cleaning,
changing sanitizer, etc. The plant then takes swabs to confirm that the actions taken
have been effective. If there are no positives, the plant returns to routine monitoring. If
there are any positives, the plant escalates its corrective actions, which may include
tearing apart pieces of equipment and sanitizing, heating pieces of equipment, etc. They
would also evaluate the need to conduct finished product testing based on all the
existing evidence. This plant does not conduct any random finished product testing
because they have determined that their control program is effective and that such
sampling would serve no purpose.

Company C
Company C produces three types of semi-dry, fermented sausages. They have
established a control program for L. monocytogenes that targets processing and
packaging operations, sanitation practices and personnel hygiene. They do not have a
routine environmental testing program; there is limited random testing done in the
environment and on some product contact surfaces. The plant has elected to verify the
effectiveness of its L. monocytogenes control program through finished product testing.
They take one sample from each lot of product and test for Listeria spp. by compositing
portions of 5 samples, retaining the remainder. Product is held pending results of the
test. If there is a positive, the company tests the retained portions for L.
monocytogenes, releasing the negative lots and destroying those that are positive.

Page 11
Appendix D: Guidance for Minimizing Impact Associated with a Food
Safety Hazard in Raw Ground Meat and Other FSIS Regulated
Products

Food Safety and Inspection Service

United States Department of Agriculture
Washington, D.C. 20250-3700

Pathogen Reduction/HACCP & HACCP Implementation

December 1998

Guidance for Beef Grinders to Better Protect Public Health

Guidance for Minimizing Impact Associated with a Food Safety Hazard in Raw Ground
Meat and Other FSIS Regulated Products

Based upon sporadic cases, outbreaks, and product recalls involving Escherichia coli (E. coli)
O157:H7, FSIS has concluded that guidance can help grinders to develop and implement
procedures that better protect public health. This guide is intended to illustrate how grinders can
avail themselves of opportunities to minimize food safety hazards associated with their
products. It does not prescribe regulatory requirements under the Federal Meat Inspection Act
(FMIA).

The guidance provided in this document is premised on three main points.

§ First, grinders should structure their operations in a manner that takes into account the
safety of their raw materials and their potential product safety responsibilities through to the
end user.

§ Second, grinders should realize that they are in an excellent position to implement process
and distribution controls that reduce public health concerns associated with ground beef
contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

§ Third, there must be an emphasis throughout the production and distribution chain on
maintaining the records that are necessary to identify, trace, and retrieve from commerce
any ground beef products that may pose a threat to public health.

Grinding operations (which traditionally buy raw materials from one or more sources and sell the
processed products to others) have a primary responsibility and unique opportunity to specify
purchase requirements related to incoming raw materials, to process raw materials under
processing and recordkeeping controls designed to ensure the safety and traceability of their
products, and to distribute products to destinations in a manner such that products can be
effectively recalled if food safety hazards are identified. Putting aside any legal considerations, it
is essential that grinding operators assume that they are responsible for their products until the
products’ end use. This is especially true for grinding operators who produce products in retail-
ready packages. This guidance material, through several guiding principles and associated
detailed explanations and recommendations, is intended to identify how grinding operations can
reduce public health risk.

Page 12
Processing operations are presently required to have SSOP’s (Sanitation Standard Operating
Procedures) and a few are already required to have functional HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical
Control Points) systems. This guidance material is specifically designed to augment these
activities, especially the development and operation of a HACCP plan 1,2. Grinding operations
not already required to have HACCP plans are encouraged to develop and implement their
HACCP plans earlier than required as soon as possible3. Although this guidance material
highlights issues associated with ground beef, the guidance can be applied to most raw
products. This guide is not intended to be prescriptive, in a regulatory sense, but rather offers
examples of opportunities to improve food safety through purchase requirements, increased
process control, and recordkeeping.

Records that facilitate trace back and trace forward are essential whenever there is an outbreak
of foodborne illness. Although grinding operators may not have access to records of the farm
sources of their raw material, or records maintained by the plants that slaughter, dress, and
bone their raw materials, they are advised to purchase raw materials from suppliers that
maintain such records. In addition, they are advised to keep records regarding the disposition of
their products to enable tracing their products forward to consumers and back to suppliers. In
instances where grinders do not control their products through distribution and retail sale, the
chain of records necessary to trace products that raise a public health concern should not be
broken. Intermediate handlers, such as distributors and wholesalers, should assume
responsibility for keeping adequate records regarding the disposition of ground beef products
that pass through their hands. The Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) requires that every
person, firm, or corporation engaged in buying or selling of meat food products must maintain
records that fully and correctly disclose all transactions in its business subject to the FMIA (21
USC 642). The recordkeeping requirements are set out in Title 9, Code of Federal Regulations,
Section 320 (9 CFR 320). Grinders are advised to impress upon all intermediate handlers of
their products the importance of records that will facilitate the efficient retrieval from consumers
of ground beef products that are a public health concern.

The pathogen E. coli O157:H7 is of particular concern to grinding operations because it is

considered an adulterant in ground beef (Taylor, 1994; Texas Food Industry Association v.
Espy)4, and because it produces severe and sometimes fatal consequences at a very low
infectious dose. Buchanan and Doyle (1997)5 emphasized that "HACCP plans that do not
include a lethal step that kills pathogens are more complex, since the focus is on risk reduction
instead of risk elimination." At present, applying a lethal step such as heat processing or
integrated lethality using fermentation or pH is the only approved method of making food
harboring E. coli O157:H7 safe for consumption. Results from microbiological testing can
provide only a limited measure of assurance that this pathogen is not present. Total reliance
upon sampling is inadequate because E. coli O157:H7, if present, is present sporadically and at
extremely low levels. Therefore, microbiological testing should be used in combination with strict
process controls in order to reduce, as much as possible, the likelihood that the pathogen is
present in the finished product. The Agency issued on February 1, 1998, FSIS Directive
10,010.1 Microbiological Testing Program For Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Raw Ground Beef,
which provides current instructions to FSIS personnel for selecting, collecting, and submitting
ground beef samples.

The guide consists of two sections: Section I., Guiding Principles; and Section II., Suggested
Procedures For Grinding Operations. This material will be continually updated and made
available through the FSIS internet web page located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov. Copies of this
Guidance for Beef Grinders to Better Protect Public Health may also be requested by fax or mail
from FSIS Public Outreach, 202-720-9063; Room 1180 South Building, Washington D.C.
20250. Comments regarding this guide should be directed to William J. Hudnall, at 202-205-
0495, and fax at 202-401-1760.

Page 13
This guide is an updated version of the guidance material that FSIS made available to the public
in March 1998. It has been modified in response to the suggestions and comments by several
organizations and to incorporate some details on rework and product recall plan derived from
the guidance provided by the National Meat Association and the American Meat Institute. This
type of incorporation was discussed during the April 22 public meeting at which each of these
organizations presented guidelines along with FSIS’ guidance material. This is the first update
of the Agency’s Guidance.

Section I. Guiding Principles:

These guiding principles are supplemented with suggested procedures in Section II.

A. Grinders should determine the specifications for microbial safety that are necessary to
ensure that their products will be safe and should only accept starting materials and
ingredients that meet their specifications. In developing such specifications, grinders should
consider the intended use for the starting materials and ingredients and what, if any,
pathogen reduction actions by their suppliers would be beneficial.

B. Grinders should keep abreast of new technologies and interventions that could be
introduced into their processes to help prevent adulterated products or to identify product
that is adulterated before it enters commerce.

C. Grinders should develop and implement processes and packaging procedures to maintain
or improve the microbial integrity of their starting materials in order to ensure that they
produce safe consumer products.

D. Grinders should implement controls to identify and segregate for special handling, product
that pose a greater risk of being adulterated. Alternate outlets, such as diversion to FSIS
inspected or state-inspected processors that employ a bacterial kill-step (such as cooking),
should be acquired for such products.

E. Grinders should develop and implement rework, carry-over, and lot designation procedures
that reflect an acceptable degree of product exposure (i.e., economic risk) in the event that a
health risk is identified that results in recalling product that is suspected of presenting a
potential hazard to the public.

F. In cooperation with their customers, grinders should develop and implement handling and
distribution procedures that will not compromise the safety of their ground products once
those products leave their establishments.

G. Grinders should develop a system of records, which fits into a farm-to-table continuum, that
will facilitate trace back to the suppliers and trace forward to the distributors in the event that
a public health risk is identified.

H. Grinders should consider both the intended use of their product (hotel, restaurant, institution,
or home setting) and the most vulnerable potential user; and should provide information and
education aimed at minimizing the potential for foodborne illnesses at the level of the
ultimate consumer. Moreover, such information and education can help to assure
consumers that product found to have E. coli O157:H7 can be made safe by thorough
cooking. Steps are available to ensure that product presumed or known to have E. coli
O157:H7 is made safe as opposed to destroying it.

Page 14
Section II. Suggested Procedures for the Guiding Principles

Receiving Meat (Guiding Principles A and B)

§ Develop purchase specifications to ensure receipt of safe and wholesome incoming raw
materials. Purchase specifications should take the end use of the product into consideration.
For example, purchase specifications for raw materials for processing products with
potentially high risk end use, such as raw patties, should include either:

1. microbial specifications, and testing by supplier or grinder, or

2. supplier operation under HACCP plans with critical control points (CCP’s) that address
pathogen intervention or anti-microbial programs, such as hot water rinses, acid spray,
steam pasteurization, or irradiation*.

*The Food and Drug Administration amended its regulations to include use of a source of
radiation to treat refrigerated or frozen meat in December 1997. FSIS is currently preparing
rulemaking on procedural and labeling requirements.

§ Require suppliers to maintain records of farm source or slaughter plant to facilitate

traceback.

§ Examine condition of transport for sanitation-related and other product handling concerns,
including:

1. sanitation of the carrier or truck

2. presence of cracks, debris, foreign material, or off-odor
3. condition of insulation and door seals
4. temperature inside transport vehicles and of meat
5. length of time of transport.

§ Examine and record condition of raw material:

1. Note and document species identity, origin, age and temperature of both refrigerated
and frozen materials, supply source, boning date/slaughter date.
2. Conduct organoleptic examination (appearance, smell, any defects or abnormalities).
3. Check integrity of immediate container, protective covering, or other packaging materials
used.
4. Document type of raw materials [e.g., trimmings, cheek meat, finely textured product,
and product resulting from advanced meat recovery systems, and other comminuted
products which have undergone additional handling and processing].
5. Verify that all units are appropriately marked or coded for trace back purposes.

§ Identify and separate incoming material according to the potential risk of the product’s end
use. Small mass products such as raw beef patties are "higher risk" because they are thin,
are cooked for a short time, are preferred not fully cooked by some consumers, and the
internal temperature is not easily obtained. Large mass products such as meat loaf or chili
are "lower risk" because they are denser and are cooked evenly for a longer time. Ready-to-
eat (RTE) products such as cooked beef patties are "lower risk" because these are
subjected to a processing step lethal to pathogens.

§ Affix grinding operation’s code after acceptance of raw materials for tracking purposes.

Page 15
Storage of Raw Material (Guiding Principle C)

§ Develop storage schedule for incoming materials to facilitate product identification and
inventory control and to maintain package/pallet integrity. Raw materials can be rotated
using a First In-First Out (FIFO) system or a plant specified product rotation/inventory control
schedule.

§ Determine which units will be refrigerated or frozen, and for how long.

§ Record specific locations, times, dates, and temperature of storage.

§ Provide ample spaces between boxes or pallets to allow for air circulation.

§ Monitor and record temperature of meat during storage.

§ If material is to be thawed, monitor, and record time and temperature of thawing.

Grinding Process including weighing, coarse grinding, blending, mixing, final grinding,
and forming (Guiding Principles C, D, E)

§ Observe and record pre-operational and operational SSOP conformance, including those for
equipment, floor, ceilings, walls, and employees. Adopt testing (e.g., microbial, ATP
bioluminescence) to measure effectiveness of SSOP.

§ Develop a lotting or sub-lotting system for coding and tracking purposes. Assign lot numbers
that will enable tracking lot to the raw material source up to the finished products. Lotting
can be based on a full day’s production or production from clean-up to clean-up. All lots
produced between clean-ups would be implicated in any public health-based action (e.g.,
recall) unless based on the specific circumstances, the problem can be restricted to a
subset of the plant’s production between cleanups.

§ Separate processing of meat into lower risk and higher risk categories. Separation can be
by processing lines, lots, shifts, or production day. Large processing plants may be able to
use different processing lines for different categories. In small plants, the categories can be
separated by shifts or lots, in which case, processing of "lower risk" raw materials should
always precede "higher risk" raw materials.

Separation of raw materials into these two categories (i.e. lower risk and higher risk)will
prevent possible cross contamination among products with different handling history.

§ Divert "higher risk" meat to:

1. RTE product such as fully cooked beef patties. RTE processing incorporates a kill-step
such as heat processing, or cooking to eliminate pathogens including E. coli O157:H7.
2. Large mass products such as meat for meat loaf or chili. This diversion will help ensure
adequate heat processing of the product before consumption, because these large mass
products are more fully and evenly cooked than thin meat patties.

Diverting "higher risk" meat to RTE or large mass product processing is an in-house method
to reduce the risk of foodborne illness because these products are in general, adequately
cooked before consumption. In diversifying, grinders that have no facilities for processing
RTE products need outlets for their "higher risk" products. Grinders should obtain a list of
federally- and state-inspected establishments that can process ground beef RTE products.

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§ Monitor and record temperature of the meat and the processing room during the whole
operation.

§ Develop a rework tracking system

1. Estimate the amount of meat for the production shift or day, so that the amount of carry-
over or rework (excess raw materials at the end of the production period that are not in
final product form) is minimal, or there is no rework at all.
2. If rework is unavoidable, use only rework meat from the immediately preceding lot or
shift, and not more than the past 24 hours. Controls should be instituted to prevent this
practice from incriminating a whole week’s or month’s production if a food safety hazard
is identified.
3. Include all rework with "higher risk" meat and process at the last shift or the end of the
production day; or divert to RTE product processing.
4. Develop a recording system for rework that includes the time, quantity, area and
processing step it was collected from, the original lot or batch number/code, and the
code of the lot or batch it was added to or included in.

§ Develop contingency plans or strategies to address unprocessed raw materials remaining

due to line failure or not meeting specifications. Maintain adequate records of the origin,
handling and disposition of these raw materials.

§ Maintain a record of source, handling, and amount of outside trimmings added (i.e.,
trimmings not from the same batch or lot as the rest of the raw materials)

§ Monitor the time and temperature of finished products, e.g., freezing of beef patties.

§ Test for E. coli O157:H7 at any point during the grinding operation. To reduce the risk of a
recall, hold the product until the test results confirm that none has been detected. FSIS
Directive 10,101.1 on Microbiological Testing Program for Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Raw
Ground Beef sets out instructions for sampling ground beef that take into account industry
action to reduce the presence of E. coli O157:H7. FSIS has instructed inspection program
personnel that (unless otherwise directed) they are not to collect samples at an inspected
establishment which makes only raw ground products that are tested daily for E. coli
O157:H7, that are made from boneless beef lot which is certified to have tested negative for
E. coli O157:H7, or that are made from carcasses which are subjected to a valid pathogen
reduction intervention, the effectiveness of which is routinely verified and confirmed by
testing, so long as no sample has tested positive for E. coli O157:H7, in the past six months.

§ Testing may help to determine whether to divert to other products. Because of the low
incidence of E. coli O157:H7 in meat, testing is not a guarantee of the absence of the
pathogen, and the amount and frequency of sampling from different volumes of meat being
processed will vary. The point of sampling, whether raw material or the finished product, will
also vary, depending on the condition of the raw material, whether there was previous
testing, the system of controls in the plant, and the type of finished product.

Packaging, Cooling, and Storage (Guiding Principle C)

§ Monitor temperature or frozen condition of finished product during the packing operation.

§ Use only clean food grade immediate container liners.

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§ Monitor finished product package integrity (seal, durability).

§ Monitor and record the temperature of the refrigerator/freezer and the product during
storage.

§ Include production code and sell-by-date on package label, in addition to the required
handling statement and safe handling instructions.

§ Install a time-temperature indicator on the package to indicate adequate temperature of

storage, distribution, and display (in grocery and other retail establishments).

Shipping, Handling, and Distribution (Guiding Principle F)

§ Develop and maintain an inventory control schedule for products in storage. The FIFO
inventory control schedule could also be used at this point.

§ Transport coded products in clean, sanitized, temperature-controlled and well-maintained

carriers to distributors.

§ Maintain records of primary and secondary distributors.

§ Develop recommendations for distributors concerning the safe handling, distribution, and
coding of the finished products.

§ Maintain and record product temperature and package integrity during loading, unloading
and holding of finished products.

§ Separate and divert to "higher risk" any product that was returned after having left the plant
and been out of the control of the plant.

§ Develop an in-house recall plan to test the efficiency of the plant’s recording or coding
system. Conducting product recovery drills (mock recalls) regularly can determine and
assess the ongoing effectiveness of the recall plan. A practical and effective recall plan that
is understood by all employees should contain the following elements:

1. step-by-step procedures to follow in the event of product recall

2. list of people who will take part in any recall activities, including their assignments,
business and home phone numbers
3. measures to retrieve documentation identifying the product coding system and product
designation
4. measures to retrieve product distribution records
5. means of coordinating recall with regulatory authority or authorities
6. means of notifying distributors, wholesalers, retailers and customers
7. measures for assuring the speedy return of recalled product
8. methods for disposition of recalled product

The following information should be given to regulatory authorities and press: product name,
product brand name, product codes, reason for the recall, areas of distribution, contact person
within the company.

Recordkeeping System (Guiding Principle G)

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§ Develop a recording or coding system so that each shipping container or a retail-ready
package of ground beef has trace back and trace forward codes.

A coding system could be as simple as indicating the shift, date and production line. For
example, a code of 1/020898/2 would mean produced on ‘first shift of February 8, 1998, line
2’. Corresponding records of all incoming products used on February 8, by shift and line,
would enable full trace back to sources. These codes should facilitate tracking or trace back
to the farm source, slaughter plant, and boning plant; a determination whether the meat was
reconditioned, had intervention treatment, or had rework meat added to it; and a
determination of the dates of slaughter and fabrication, lot number, storage, and transport
records.

§ Encourage primary and secondary distributors to maintain a record of the companies to

which they supply finished products. This will ensure effective trace forward of all products, if
the need arises.

Thorough recordkeeping, including tracing back and forward, will facilitate recall efforts. This
will make possible rapid identification of sources of microbial contamination leading to
containment of any product that could result in foodborne illness and public health
implications. This will minimize the economic impact of recalls on affected plants, by
narrowing down implicated products to a certain lot or production code.

Education (Guiding principle H)

§ Grinding plants that have developed programs to educate their employees, distributors, food
handlers, and consumers of the risks of foodborne illness associated with the production of
ground beef products should continually monitor and update their programs. If needed,
training in the language understood by food handlers and other employees should be
provided.

§ Grinding plants without such programs should develop training and educational programs
for employees, distributors, food handlers, and consumers on the microbiological risks that
may be associated with ground beef products, and on measures to prevent foodborne
illness. Training in the language understood by the people concerned should be provided, if
necessary.

§ Safe handling instructions are currently required on the labels of not-ready-to-eat products
when distributed to consumers, hotels, restaurants, or similar institutions [9 CFR 317.2(1)].
Grinding plants should include handling information on products distributed between
establishments.

§ Grinding plants should include cooking instructions that are targeted to the specific
purchaser (e.g., product distributed to institutions with elderly, young, or
immunocompromised populations should include more rigorous cooking and handling
instructions than those provided for the general population).

A list of already developed free materials that may aid grinding plants in training and education
may be ordered by mail or fax from the FSIS Public Outreach and communications Office at
(202) 720-9352 or FAX (202) 720-9063. Many free educational materials are also accessible on
the FSIS web site http://www.fsis.usda.gov. Other educational and training materials are also
accessible via USDA/FDA Foodborne Illness Education Center at:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodborne/foodborn.htm .

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For Further Information Contact:
FSIS Food Safety Education and Communications Staff
Room 2932-South Building; 1400 Independence Ave. S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20250
Phone: (202) 720-9352
Fax: (202) 720-9063

Comments on the guide should be directed to:

William J. Hudnall
Phone: (202) 205-0495
Fax: (202) 401-1760

Footnotes:
1. USDA, FSIS (1997) Generic HACCP Model for Raw, Ground Meat and Poultry Products, HACCP-3
2. USDA, FSIS (1997) Generic HACCP Model for Beef Slaughter, HACCP-13.
3. Federal Register: January 30, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 20) p. 4622
4. Taylor, M. (1994) Change and Opportunity: Harnessing Innovation To Improve The Safety of the Food Supply.
Speech given at the American Meat Institute Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, September 29, 1994.
Texas Food Industry Association v. Espy, 870F.supp.143,149,(W. D. Tex.1994)
5. Buchanan, R. L., and Doyle, M. P. (1997) Foodborne disease significance of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and other
enterohemorrhagic E. coli. Food Technol. 51(10): 69-76.

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